Champions Trophy: ICC to hold emergency meeting to break deadlock between India and Pakistan, take final call on event

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will reportedly hold an emergency board meeting on Tuesday, 26 November in order to take a final call on the 2025 Champions Trophy and try and find a solution to the deadlock between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

According to The Times of India, both the BCCI and the PCB will be in attendance for the meeting that will be taking place virtually, and the ICC is likely to make a final decision on the fate of the tournament that returns to action after an eight-year absence.

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Defending champions Pakistan were allotted hosting duties for the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy – which went by the name ‘ICC KnockOut Tournament’ for its first two editions in 1998 and 2000.

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India, however, have refused to travel to their neighbouring country citing security concerns and political tensions between the two nuclear-armed south Asian nations, casting doubt over the future of the tournament.

The BCCI had told the ICC it intended for India’s matches to take place at a neutral venue, with the tournament then taking place in a ‘Hybrid Model’ – much like last year’s 50-over Asia Cup, in which a majority of matches were held in Sri Lanka after it was originally scheduled to take place in Pakistan.

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The Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB, however, have firmly refused to entertain talk of the Champions Trophy, which was scheduled to be held from 19 February and 9 March with Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi hosting games, meeting a similar fate as the 2023 Asia Cup.

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The PCB has even threatened to boycott not just the Champions Trophy if it is moved out of Pakistan upon their refusal to accept the ‘Hybrid Model’, but also refuse to play India in any tournament in the future, including in World Cups.

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Reiterating their stance of the tournament taking place entirely in Pakistan, the PCB appointed Chief Operating Office Sumair Ahmed as the Tournament Director for the 2025 Champions Trophy.