Champions Trophy Hybrid Model Finalized, India to Pay Heavily for ICC Decision

Photo : PA

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to hold the 2025 Champions Trophy using a hybrid model. This means that India will play its matches in Dubai, while the tournament will also take place in Pakistan. The ICC has agreed to use this model for all tournaments until 2027. The decision was made after a meeting between ICC President Jay Shah and the Board of Directors, which also included Pakistan, at the ICC headquarters in Dubai on Thursday.

The Champions Trophy will be held from February to March 2025. The matches will take place in both the UAE and Pakistan, with India’s matches being played in Dubai. This decision is seen as a good solution for everyone involved because it allows the tournament to happen while meeting everyone’s needs. Pakistan had earlier threatened to boycott the tournament but later agreed to the hybrid model after talks at an earlier ICC meeting. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also asked for the same arrangement to be followed for all ICC events until 2031, but the ICC agreed only to extend this model for all tournaments until 2027.

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India is already set to host the Women’s ODI World Cup later this year and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which it will co-host with Sri Lanka. Under this agreement, Pakistan will play its matches in Sri Lanka for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, rather than in India. Pakistan is satisfied with this plan, even though they wanted more flexibility for future events.

Since the schedule for the Champions Trophy has not been finalized yet, it is possible that India’s women’s team may have to play against Pakistan at a neutral venue, depending on how the matches are scheduled. The full schedule will be released soon, which is important for teams and broadcasters like Star Sports. The ICC had promised to provide the schedule at least 90 days in advance, but this deadline has already been missed.

Star Sports representatives were supposed to meet with ICC officials in Dubai to discuss the hybrid model and the schedule, but their meeting has been delayed to Saturday. The PCB had earlier said it wanted a larger share of the tournament’s revenue to make up for India’s demands for the hybrid model, but it is unclear if this issue was discussed in the meeting.

This decision comes after years of political and security issues between India and Pakistan. India has not toured Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the two countries have not played a bilateral series since 2012. India’s refusal to play in Pakistan is often because of security concerns. The ICC has said many times that no country should be forced to play in a place where they don’t feel safe. The hybrid model is seen as a solution to make sure the tournament can go ahead without putting any team in danger.

The new arrangement is expected to make it easier for the Champions Trophy to go ahead as planned. It will help players, fans, and broadcasters to get the information they need. The decision also ensures that the game of cricket continues to grow while taking into account the challenges of politics and safety.