BCCI Vice President Discusses India’s Upcoming Visit to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

In February, an eight-team mega tournament will be held in three cities across the country. With 2025 calendar months to go for the Champions Trophy, a senior official of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has expressed his opinion on the prospects of the Indian cricket team’s visit to Pakistan for the mega event.

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla linked the team’s trip to Pakistan to the Indian government’s permission.

‘No decision has been taken [yet]. But our policy is that for international tours, we always seek permission from the government. It is up to the government to decide whether our team should visit a country or not,’ the head of the BCCI informed the Indian media.

‘In this case [too], whatever the government decides, we will abide by it,’ added Shukla.

These comments come as Pakistan prepares to host the prestigious tournament in February next year, but India’s participation remains ambiguous. It should be noted that the men in blue have not visited Pakistan since 2008 and the two historic rivals have not held a bilateral series since 2012-2013.

The upcoming tournament is expected to feature eight elite teams, including India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, based on their performances in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

All seven teams in the Champions Trophy, apart from India, have already played in Pakistan and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) believes that India have no valid reason not to come here.

There will be three venues – Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore – where eight teams will play and, according to the schedule proposed by the PCB to the ICC, all India’s matches will be played in Lahore.