ICC Champions Trophy 2025 – PCB draft schedule includes all India matches in Lahore – India vs Pakistan

The PCB’s 2025 Champions Trophy plan could have India based in one city for the entire tournament, as the board looks at ways to accommodate India’s potential visit to Pakistan in nearly 17 years.

Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are the three venues where the PCB plans to host the two-week Champions Trophy. ESPNcricinfo understands that the draft has India based and playing all its matches in Lahore – where the final is also scheduled to take place.

Basing India in one city is thought to have been proposed because it avoids potential operational and security headaches in their travels. Additionally, being based in Lahore, which is close to the Wagah border between the two countries, allows Indian fans an easy option to visit.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi earlier this week said the board had sent the draft of the tournament, which is likely to be played in mid-February next year, to the ICC. Discussions about it involving the eight participating members will be there, the main sticking point will be whether the Indian team leaves or not.

Since the return of international cricket to Pakistan in 2015, however, every team participating in the Champions Trophy has visited and played in Pakistan, apart from India.

No Indian team has played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. Relations between the two governments have gradually deteriorated since then, especially after the Mumbai terror attacks that same year. That streak ended a rare streak of success in the rivalry, the two teams having played each other in a two-way series in the past four years.

The final decision on whether India will tour Pakistan in the Champions Trophy will rest with the Indian government, rather than the BCCI.

On Tuesday evening in Karachi, Naqvi expressed hope that “all eight teams” would come to Pakistan for the event, although he did not specify India’s position.

The Champions Trophy is the first ICC event that Pakistan will be hosting since the 1996 World Cup, when it was co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan was supposed to host this event in 2008, but it was postponed and moved to South Africa due to the security situation in Pakistan at that time. Pakistan also lost the job of hosting the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team meant no international cricket for the next six years.

Since the return of international cricket to Pakistan in 2015, however, every team participating in the Champions Trophy has visited and played in Pakistan, except India.