Champions Trophy 2025 Match Officials: Why No Indian Umpire & Referee is Assigned For ICC Tournament?

No Indian umpire or referee was included as ICC released the match officials list for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be staged in Pakistan and UAE from February 19.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday (February 5) revealed the match officials for the upcoming event, featuring 10 umpires of the ICC elite panel and three match referees.

Javagal Srinath and Nitin Menon not included in match officials list for Champions Trophy 2025

The 12-member umpires panel includes the ICC's Umpire of the Year Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Michael Gough, Paul Reiffel, Chris Gaffaney, Ahsan Raza and Kumar Dharmasena among others, while David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle and Andrew Pycroft will be the match referees.

Former India pacer Javagal Srinath and Nitin Menon also are among the ICC's elite panel of match officials, but do not feature in the list for the Champions Trophy. Here's why the Indian officials are not included.

Why no Indian umpire or referee in Champions Trophy 2025 match officials list?

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, both Srinath and Menon had "mutually agreed" with the ICC that they would not undertake any officiating assignments in the Pakistan leg of the tournament, ruling them out of taking up a role in the Dubai leg with only India playing their matches in the UAE.

While local umpires and match referees officiate matches in bilateral series, neutral officials have been the norm at all ICC tournaments. So, with Srinath and Menon opting against travelling to Pakistan, the pair were not included in match officials list for the Champions Trophy.

Sean Easey, the ICC senior manager - umpires and referees, said: "We always try to name the most suitable and deserving officials for any event, and we are confident this group will do a fine job across the matches in Pakistan and the UAE." Here is look at the list of match officials: