The BCCI has already made it clear that Team India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. This puts the ICC tournament in a dilemma—it will either be held without India or under a hybrid model. Initially, Pakistan was unwilling to share the Champions Trophy hosting rights with another country.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now threatened to withdraw its team from upcoming ICC events in India, while expressing willingness to adopt the hybrid model. The PCB has also set some additional conditions, including a tri-series involving India.
According to ESPNcricinfo, a meeting took place on Thursday, 5th December, between ICC’s new chairman Jay Shah and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. During the meeting, Pakistan agreed to host the Champions Trophy on a hybrid model but presented certain demands.
The primary condition set by the PCB is that its team will not travel to India for any ICC events until 2027. This would mean that all upcoming ICC tournaments in India, including the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, would also have to be played under a hybrid model.
Other demands revolve around compensating the PCB for potential commercial revenue losses due to India’s Champions Trophy matches being played at a different venue. The PCB has also suggested organizing a tri-series to address this issue.
Further discussions between the two boards and the ICC are expected, with a final decision likely to be made during the board meeting on 7th December.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin on 19th February next year. The ICC is expected to announce the tournament schedule after this meeting.
