The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is four months away, but there has been a lot of fuss about the venue for the past two years. India wanted to move the tournament out of Pakistan due to political reasons, as they do not wish to travel to Pakistan. However, Pakistan has been confirmed as the venue, though India’s matches will be played in another country.
Dubai may replace Lahore as Champions Trophy Final venue, reports
The UAE is the preferred venue where India’s matches could be played, though Sri Lanka is also under consideration. The ICC has yet to officially confirm the second venue, but it is expected that the 8-team tournament will be played under a hybrid model. The tournament final is scheduled to be played in Lahore. However, recent reports suggest that the final may be moved to the UAE if India ended up as one of the finalists.
According to reports, if India does not reach the final, the title match will be held in Lahore, but if India qualifies, Dubai will host the final. However, it will be frustrating for Pakistan to lose the title match as the host of the tournament.
In another report by Geo News journalist Arfa Feroz Zake, he claimed that the PCB has denied rumors about the final being moved out of Lahore. “The PCB has REJECTED rumors regarding the final of the Champions Trophy being shifted to Dubai if the Indian Cricket Team qualifies,” Zake tweeted.
🚨 NEWS – PCB has REJECTED rumours regarding final of Champions Trophy to be shifted to Dubai incase Indian Cricket Team qualifies in the final. 1/n #CT
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) October 8, 2024
The journalist also claimed that the PCB is not supporting the hybrid model and remains firm in its stance to host the entire tournament in Pakistan, including India’s matches. Zake further tweeted that the Pakistan Cricket Board is spending millions of rupees to host the tournament, even upgrading stadiums, so they expect the entire event to be held in Pakistan.
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While the PCB can be stubborn, the ICC’s decision will be final. Jay Shah, as ICC Chairman, opposes sending the Indian team to Pakistan. In fact, the Indian government has given the BCCI a red flag regarding sending its players to Pakistan. It will be interesting to see what the ICC’s final verdict on the venues will be in the coming days.