Champions Trophy 2025: What to expect in ICC's board meeting rescheduled for Saturday

Uncertainty surrounding next year’s Champions Trophy continues to persist with the International Cricket Council (ICC) postponing an emergency board meeting involving all the Full Members that was supposed to take place on Friday. The board meeting was reportedly supposed to take place earlier this week on Tuesday before being finalised for Friday, with all 12 Full Members attending the virtual meeting along with three Associate Nations, one independent director, the ICC Chair and the CEO.

According to ESPNCricinfo, Friday’s virtual meeting lasted just 15 minutes before it was postponed for the weekend, with the ICC Board Meeting now set to take place on Saturday, 30 November. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi was present at the board’s headquarters in Dubai for the meeting even though it was a virtual call.

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At the heart of the dispute is the standoff between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). While defending champions Pakistan had been awarded hosting rights for the tournament that returns to action after an eight-year absence, the BCCI has refused to send the Indian team to their neighbouring country citing security concerns, adding that they were denied permission by the Central Government.

While India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars since they gained independence from Britain in 1947, relations between the two nuclear-armed south Asian nations reached an all-time low during the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. While India had played numerous bilateral series’ against Pakistan, both home and away, throughout the 2000s, they severed bilateral ties with their arch-rivals after the Mumbai attacks, with the last bilateral series taking place in the 2012-13 season.

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India and Pakistan have faced each other in multiple ICC and Asian Cricket Council events including the ODI and T20 World Cups. However, none of those tournaments had taken place in Pakistan post-2008 until last year’s Asia Cup, which ended up being played largely in Sri Lanka.

Coming back to the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was scheduled to be hosted from 19 February and 9 March in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, there are three options that the ICC will be discussing with its member boards on Saturday.

Conducting the tournament in a ‘Hybrid’ Model

The ‘Hybrid’ model had been implemented in last year’s 50-over Asia Cup, which was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan only for a majority of the games to be moved to Sri Lanka. The BCCI had conveyed to the ICC that it was willing to send the Indian team to participate in the Champions Trophy so long as they played at a neutral venue.

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The ‘Hybrid’ option currently appears as the most likely solution for the ICC and the remaining boards to agree upon even though the PCB has firmly refused to entertain discussions on the topic. The ICC has even offered additional financial incentives to the PCB in order to persuade them to accept the ‘Hybrid’ model, which could ultimately work in beneficial for Pakistani cricket.

Moving the tournament out of Pakistan

If the PCB refuse to budge from their original stance and continue to demand hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan, then the ICC will likely be forced to move the tournament entirely to a different country – with UAE and Sri Lanka the likely candidates to host the tournament. India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan makes the prospect of all the matches taking place in that country highly unlikely.

Also Read | Pakistan might withdraw from Champions Trophy 2025 if hosting rights taken away

Additionally, the PCB could also stand to lose up to US$ 65 million if the tournament is moved elsewhere due to their refusal to accept the ‘Hybrid’ model, through a cut to their annual revenue and ICC funding among other factors. A last-minute change in venue and schedule will also be massive headache for the ICC, but the tournament could still be moderately successful, especially with the Men in Blue’s participation.

Conducting the tournament in Pakistan, but without India

The tournament might as well get cancelled if it has to go down the route of taking place entirely in Pakistan without India. Long gone are the days with England and Australia used to call the shots in the sport and Lord’s used to serve as the global cricketing headquarters.

With the BCCI’s meteoric rise in stature since the turn of the millennium, propelled by the raging success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), India ended up leaving both the England and Australia behind to become the new undisputed cricketing superpower. The Indian board reportedly accounts for 80 to 90 per cent of ICC’s annual revenue, which is the source of funds that is critical for the survival of several Full Member nations including Pakistan.

Additionally, the Indian team’s consistent performances in all three formats ensures it remains a draw for broadcasters regardless of the format or the tournament they’re playing. And a multi-nation tournament without India will likely prove a flop from the financial standpoint regardless of the quality of cricket that’s played on the field.