KARACHI: The long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan over the 2025 Champions Trophy is finally close to being resolved as both sides have agreed to play their matches at neutral venues for the ICC tournaments hosted by Pakistan or India, sources and reports revealed on Thursday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has proposed a “merger formula” for the hybrid model, where India’s matches in the Pakistan-hosted Cricket Champions Trophy will be moved to a neutral venue. In return, Pakistan demanded the same arrangements for ICC events in India. After much discussion, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly accepted the proposal.
The talks reached a breakthrough on Thursday evening after a meeting scheduled for the afternoon was postponed due to the lack of a clear response from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Late at night, sources said that the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry had agreed in principle.
According to India PTI News Agency, The Champions Cup 2025 will now be held in Pakistan and the UAE, with India’s matches being held in Dubai.
The agreement will reportedly apply to all ICC events until 2027.
During this time, India is scheduled to host the Women’s ODI World Cup in October 2024 and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026 alongside Sri Lanka. Pakistan insisted on a mutual hybrid arrangement for these events in India.
Despite the progress achieved, the Program Coordination Board stressed the need for written assurances from the ICC. A source close to the negotiations said: “The Program Coordination Board wants assurances from the International Chamber of Commerce, not the BCCI, that the hybrid model will be implemented without problems.” “Everything should be documented to avoid future complications.” According to sources, the PCB wants this arrangement to be part of the host agreement.
The PCC also proposed organizing a trilateral series involving India and Pakistan at neutral venues in the future, with England and Australia among the proposed locations.
While there has been no official response from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry to this idea, it is still under consideration.
A final agreement is expected to be reached within the next 48 hours, with the ICC Board of Directors scheduled to meet on December 7.
This arrangement will need to be formally approved and included in the host agreements to ensure that it is binding on all ICC member boards.