Did Pakistan keep the venue of ICC Champions Trophy at PoK to provoke India? read to know more
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a nationwide tour for the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for 2025, which will include visits to several major cities across the country. However, the inclusion of areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK) has sparked controversy. These areas, including Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad, are part of a disputed region that India claims as its own.
The announcement came amid a brewing conflict over India’s participation in the tournament, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan due to ongoing diplomatic tensions and security concerns. The PCB, led by Mohsin Raza Naqvi, who also serves as a federal minister, expressed disappointment over India's refusal to play in Pakistan, even as the country holds the hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
The PCB shared a post on social media, revealing that the trophy tour for the ICC Champions Trophy would begin in Islamabad on November 16, with plans to visit picturesque destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad. The inclusion of PoK areas in the tour has been perceived as provocative by India, which has consistently contested Pakistan’s control over these regions.
The situation has caused tension within the International Cricket Council (ICC), with reports indicating that the governing body is exploring various options to avoid a scenario where India is excluded from the tournament. One such proposal is a hybrid model, where India would play its matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), though there is also speculation about the possibility of changing the venue entirely or postponing the event indefinitely. Despite this, the PCB is determined to move forward with the tournament as planned, without India’s participation, while the ICC has yet to make a final decision on the venue.
The Champions Trophy trophy, meanwhile, has arrived in Islamabad from Dubai. The move to include PoK in the promotional tour is seen as part of a broader strategy by Pakistan, which has historically invited foreign dignitaries to visit PoK in an effort to assert its claims over the region. This tactic has long drawn sharp reactions from India.
Earlier this month, the ICC canceled a major event planned to mark the 100-day countdown to the Champions Trophy, which was scheduled for November 11 in Lahore. The cancellation came amid difficulties in finalizing the schedule, particularly concerning India’s participation.
The ICC has officially informed the PCB that India will not send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. A PCB spokesperson, Sami Ul Hasan, confirmed that the Indian board had communicated this decision to the ICC, citing the Indian government’s denial of permission for the team to travel to Pakistan for the event.
The Champions Trophy, which is set to be held in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, 2025, will feature eight teams, with matches planned across three cities: Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi. However, the final schedule remains uncertain as India has yet to confirm its participation. The diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan have cast a shadow over the event ever since the announcement that Pakistan would host the tournament.
Historically, India and Pakistan have only met in ICC multi-nation tournaments since their last bilateral series in 2012-13. Pakistan, which had not hosted international cricket between 2009 and 2015 due to a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, did participate in the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 50-over World Cup in India, although the countries have not played a bilateral series in over a decade.
