The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a budget for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, set to be hosted by Pakistan in February-March next year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to decide whether Team India will travel to Pakistan for the event or if their matches will be held at a neutral venue. The ICC has allocated Rs 12.80 billion to Pakistan for the tournament, with the budget prepared by ICC’s chief finance officer, Ankur Khanna, and PCB’s chief finance officer, Javed Murtaza.
The budget is intended for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to renovate venues in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi for the Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB plans to host the entire tournament in Pakistan, but according to a report by Cricket Pakistan, India may play their matches at a neutral venue instead. Previously, India did not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, resulting in a hybrid model where India’s matches were held in Sri Lanka.
The PCB has submitted its draft schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025, proposing that India will play all their matches in Lahore. If India reaches the semifinal and final, these matches will also be held in Lahore. The highly anticipated India vs. Pakistan match is scheduled for March 1.
A senior BCCI official confirmed that there were no discussions with the PCB about the Champions Trophy during the recent conference. “It isn’t a bilateral series where two boards hold discussions. No dialogue happened between us and PCB on the Champions Trophy. Since it wasn’t on any of the agendas, it wasn’t discussed during the AGM too. It is still time away and ICC will handle it,” the official was quoted by Cricket Pakistan.