The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Vice President, Rajeev Shukla, addressed recent reports of Pakistan threatening to boycott the 2026 T20 World Cup, which India is set to co-host with Sri Lanka, if India refuses to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Speaking at the Uttar Pradesh Premier League players’ auction, Shukla emphasized that the BCCI is awaiting approval from the Indian government to decide on traveling to Pakistan. “Pakistan can say whatever it wants about coming to India during the 2026 World Cup, but we are only waiting for the approval of the Indian government [to participate in the Champions Trophy],” Shukla stated.
A senior BCCI official acknowledged that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would likely retaliate if India does not participate in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. “Of course, we expect retaliation. If we don’t travel to Pakistan, they will threaten to boycott the Asia Cup. But PCB should understand that it’s not in BCCI’s hands. Sending a team to a foreign country requires the government of India’s permission. So far, we have had dialogues regarding the Champions Trophy. But we haven’t had any positive outcomes,” the official remarked.
The PCB remains resolute in its decision to host all Champions Trophy 2025 matches within Pakistan, despite speculations of using a neutral venue as a backup plan. It was reported that the Indian cricket team might play its matches at a neutral venue instead of traveling to Pakistan.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held from February 19th to March 9th, 2025, with matches hosted across three venues in Pakistan: Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. According to the PCB’s proposed schedule to the International Cricket Council (ICC), all of India’s matches are slated to take place in Lahore.
The PCB argues that, except for India, all other participating teams have played in Pakistan and believes India lacks a strong justification for not doing the same. The 2025 Champions Trophy will mark the tournament’s return after an eight-year hiatus, the last edition being in 2017 when Pakistan won by defeating India in the final
