It is indeed a nice development in unraveling the suspense regarding the next edition of the Champions Trophy. The ICC announced a tournament to be held in a Hybrid Model after BCCI refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan due to security concerns. The PCB was adamant about hosting the competition without conceding any matches after ICC proposed the Hybrid Model which permits India to play its matches on neutral venue.
The calendar, ICC announced Thursday, would be revealed shortly.
On the other hand, the ICC board has also decided that the India-Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events during the 2024-2027 cycle will be taking place at a neutral venue. This would be the impact on the Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, hosted by India) and also on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.).
Mexico is added to the hostings to the PCB for the ICC Women T20 World Cup 2028, which also follows the Hybrid Model.
Meanwhile, the Cricket Australia will stage one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period that falls between 2029 and 2031.
Since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, India has
not visited Pakistan. Last year, the Asia Cup was shared in Hybrid Model where Sri Lanka played host to matches involving India.
The last time the Champions Trophy was played was in 2017, with Pakistan defeating India and going on to claim their first title. Next year, it is scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan, with as many as eight countries making the trip – India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan.
The competition is likely to take place in February-March next year.
According to a report, PCB favours Sri Lanka as the co-host for the marquee event. However, UAE could be the likely venue for India matches for logistical reasons.
