For Team India, PCB chooses Lahore as the sole venue for the Champions Trophy 2025
As per the report, in the draft schedule for the Champion Trophy, which is going to be held next year, the Pakistan Cricket Board has put all the matches of Team India in Lahore. Pakistan is going to host the multi-team ICC event in 2025, and the report suggests that the Pakistan Cricket Board is looking for a February window to host the competition. Due to its close proximity to the Wagah Border, which is the crossing line between India and Pakistan, Lahore has been chosen by the cricket board to host the Indian cricket team. The reports mention that the city is also going to host the finals of the Champion Trophy.
Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore have been selected as the Venus for the Champions Trophy, but the rationale behind PCB behind team India playing in only one venue is quite simple; it also eases the logistics and security preparation and also reduces the headache for the fans of team India in terms of travelling.
Team India has not travelled to Pakistan in the last 17 years, with their last stop being the 2008 Asia Cup. The political tension and diplomatic relationships between the two countries have resulted in the absence of any bilateral cricket series between the two teams for over 11 years.
According to another report by the general manager of the ICC, Wasim Khan visited Lahore, where he talked with the Pakistan cricket board over the Champions Trophy, mainly about the potential schedule of India in the tournament.
As per the statement of a source from the Pakistan Cricket Board, the ICC general manager, Wasim Khan, also recently visited Lahore, where he discussed the Champions Trophy arrangement with the top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and it was also suggested that Indian cricket team travel will be kept to a minimum.
The chairman of the board, Mohsin Naqvi, has maintained that all the teams are going to play for the champion trophy in Pakistan according to the schedule. He also informed us that the renovation work on the stadium is going to start very soon.