KARACHI: With the future of the Champions Trophy 2025 hanging in the balance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has called a board meeting this week to discuss India’s participation in the mega event.
An ICC spokesperson confirmed that the meeting will be held online on November 29 and that the agenda has been provided to all board members.
According to sources, the future of the tournament will be discussed after India’s refusal to visit Pakistan for the tournament to be held in February-March next year.
ICC board members will discuss various options including adopting a hybrid model, moving the event altogether, or postponing the tournament.
Sources further revealed that the ICC board is inclined to implement the hybrid model as the primary solution. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already opposed this practice.
The ICC Board is expected to take a final decision after considering the opinions and recommendations of its members during the meeting.
The board consists of 12 full members, three associate members and one independent director.
Earlier on November 20, it was reported that uncertainty about the tournament was expected to remain due to the possibility of a delay in the announcement of the schedule.
The ICC had formally sought a written explanation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over its refusal when the PCB approached the ICC regarding India’s decision against participating in the mega event. A copy of the written reply was requested.
Apart from the PCB’s stance, the refusal of broadcasters and commercial partners to accept a schedule that did not include a Pakistan-India match – which provides significant visibility and therefore valuable revenue – also came up. What has added to CC’s woes?
Furthermore, he also warned that legal action would be taken if the tournament did not include competition between arch-rivals.
Sources said that if the stakeholders show flexibility, the announcement of the schedule will be possible in a couple of days.
He further said that the stakeholders are in favor of holding the event by mutual consensus.
Meanwhile, the international cricketing body is trying to find a solution before BCCI secretary Jay Shah takes charge as ICC chairman on December 1.
It is worth noting that in recent years, the ICC has ensured that India plays Pakistan at least once in international cricket events, ensuring a large share of the revenue from the game.
The match between the arch-rivals at the 2023 World Cup drew unprecedented interest, with 173 million viewers on Indian TV and 225 million digital viewers.
The ICC, which received $3.2 billion from broadcast rights for the 2024-2027 cycle and expects another $1 billion in other revenue, relies heavily on marquee events featuring Pakistan and India.
It should be noted that India has not played an international match in Pakistan since 2008. Last year, the BCCI had refused to send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, resulting in a hybrid format with subsequent stages in Sri Lanka. was held.
However, Pakistan toured India immediately after the 2023 ODI World Cup.