Champions Trophy 2025: "Mujhe Puri Umeed Hai" - PCB Chief Remains Hopeful India Will Travel To Pakistan

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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairperson Mohsin Naqvi is hopeful that India will come to the country to play next edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be staged in February 2025.

It is being speculated that India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may request the ICC to pull the tournament out of Pakistan and organise it either in Sri Lanka or Dubai.

BCCI has always said any decision on the Indian cricket team's travel to their neighbouring country will depend on the government's approval. There is no further update on their decision.

However, during an interaction with the press in Lahore, the PCB chief Mohsin revealed that there has been no hints of cancel or postponement and he remained hopeful that all teams, including India will come to Pakistan to compete in the Champions Trophy.

Speaking to the press, Naqvi said, "Indian team mujhe puri umeed hai... Abhi tak koi aisi cheej nahi hai jiski wajeh se vo postpone karey ya cancel karey. Toh sari teams aayengi (Team India will come to play the Champions Trophy, all the teams will come)," Naqvi said.

In their latest stand on the issue, BCCI still maintained that India will only travel depending on the government's approval. BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla gave an updated during the second Test against Bangladesh last week.

"No decision has been taken (yet). But our policy is that for international tours, we always seek the permission of the government," Shukla had said only last week.

"It's up to the government to decide whether our team should go to any country or our team should not go to any country. In this case (also), whatever the government will decide, we will abide by that," he added.

Pakistan has not staged any major International Cricket Council (ICC) event since the 1996 ODI World Cup, which they co-hosted with their neighbours India and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan were then supposed to co-host the 2011 edition of the tournament, but their rights were stripped after a terror attack on a touring Sri Lanka side's bus back in 2009. The tournament was then played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

India has not travelled to Pakistan for a bilateral series or any other tournament since 2008 after the Mumbai terror attacks in which over 150 people were killed. Even in last year's Asia Cup, India played all their matches in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan, however, has been to India on three occasions, for a white-ball series in late December 2012 to January 2013, the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup, which was entirely hosted by India.