The 2025 Champions Trophy saga has taken another twist after India refused to travel to Pakistan and called for the tournament to be played in a hybrid model with India playing their matches in Dubai. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has maintained a rigid stance so far and called for the entire tournament to be played in their country.
Reports have suggested that the Pakistan cricket governing body has threatened to pull out of the tournament and not play India in an international event. It has also been suggested that in this scenario, the whole competition could be shifted out of Pakistan.
Over the last few days, South Africa had emerged as a likely contender to host the mega event. However, a report by Sports Tak claims that the African nation has been ruled out as a possibility due to the SA 20, which is scheduled to end just days before the Champions Trophy begins and will mean the pitches are tired.
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It has been further reported that India has now emerged as a front-runner to host the tournament if Pakistan decides to pull out of the tournament, with discussions among the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the idea to hold the tournament on Indian soil.
The same publication also stated that the BCCI has prepared a detailed dossier on their decision to pull out of the competition due to security reasons in response to PCB's response to the ICC asking for the reason behind India's stand.
For those unversed, India has not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup due to the strained political ties between the two countries following the 26/11 Mumbai Terror attacks.
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The 2025 Champions Trophy is the first ICC tournament scheduled to take place in Pakistan in 29 years, with the 1996 Cricket World Cup still the last to be hosted in the Asian country.