Champions Trophy 2025: Lahore to host India-Pakistan clash

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Champions Trophy 2025: Lahore to host India-Pakistan clash

As India and Pakistan ended a highly charged and intensely fought match in New York on Sunday, their next big clash is not far away. The arch-rivals should be meeting again in eight months, in the Champions Trophy in March 2025, unless the two teams end up playing in the knockouts of the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup, in the Caribbean later this month.

Cricbuzz can reveal that the draft schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy has been submitted to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the India-Pakistan game will be the last of the league matches in the eight-team 15-match competition which, as reported by Cricbuzz earlier on Sunday, will be played between February 19 to March 9. The dates of the matches are being worked out.

According to the proposed schedule, Lahore is the venue for the match. This is, of course, subject to the approval from the Government of India to play in Pakistan, failing which the tournament may have to opt for the hybrid model, like the one employed for last year's Asia Cup, with UAE as the venue for the India games. However, the PCB is believed to have been told to go ahead with its preparations.

As is well known, the PCB has identified Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi as venues for the 20-day competition, with Lahore as the designated centre for the India games. As per the programme, there will be seven matches in Lahore, five in Rawalpindi and three in the port city of Karachi.

Karachi is scheduled to host the opening match on February 19, a Wednesday, and the two semifinals will be in Karachi and Rawalpindi. As per the proposed programme, the final on March 9, a Sunday, will be in Lahore, which has also been allotted all India games as well as the semifinal, if they qualify.

At this stage, neither the PCB nor the ICC is talking of a hybrid model. It is not unprecedented for the situation to change at the last minute though. All eyes will now be on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Government of India.

© Cricbuzz