ISLAMABAD: The Gaddafi Stadium Lahore has been proposed as a single venue for the entire Indian team commitments during the February 2025 Champions Trophy to be hosted by Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has forwarded a tentative Champions Trophy schedule to the International Cricket Council (ICC) according to which Indian commitments during the entire mega event have been planned in Lahore.
All group matches where India is involved and in case the team makes it to the semis or final of the competition, the Gaddafi Stadium has been proposed as the venue for their entire commitments.
The ICC will discuss the schedule with the competing boards, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) before getting back to the PCB if any change is proposed or required.
Though India has yet to confirm crossing the border for the Champions Trophy matches, signals coming from across the border are encouraging.
Indian white-ball captain Rohit Sharma is quoted to have said that resuming the Test series against Pakistan at a neutral venue would be good for the game. There is also news of backdoor diplomacy that could well open up the doors for sports exchanges.
Besides hosting the Champions Trophy, Pakistan also is the venue for the South Asian Games next year. Indian Olympic Association is in touch with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and has communicated that early hosting of the Games would be helpful for regional sports.
Pakistan are the title holders of the Champions Trophy cricket that is being organized after eight years. To avoid traveling hazards for Indian cricketers, the PCB has proposed to hold the entire Indian team commitments at Lahore.
Pakistan was first allotted the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy in 2008 but due to security concerns, the event was moved to South Africa where it was staged in 2009 with the green shirts making it to the semis under Younis Khan’s captaincy.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 while Pakistan has consistently crossed over the borders to figure in the ICC events.
Besides Lahore, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches will also be staged in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
The upgradation work at all the three venues is expected to start later this month, following the completion of paperwork. The main objective is to improve the existing facilities at three grounds and, if possible, to increase the seating capacity.
The ICC teams have kept on visiting Pakistan in the recent past to oversee the progress. A team of pitch and stadium consultants is already in Karachi to propose a roadmap for the upgradation of facilities.