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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly decided to restrict the ICC Champions Trophy trophy tour to Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
This comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is the richest cricket body globally, filed an objection with the ICC over the PCB’s move to include Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) tour in the schedule.
On Thursday, the PCB, in a post on X, said: “Get ready, Pakistan! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad. Catch a glimpse of the trophy which Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted in 2017 at The Oval, from 16-24 November.”
Following this, BCCI secretary and upcoming ICC chairman Jay Shah filed a protest with the ICC.
“PCB is already in discussions with the ICC on how to proceed with the trophy tour to ensure the Champions Trophy is continued to be promoted in Pakistan,” a PCB source was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
“The ICC Champions Trophy tour was planned in consultation and with the approval of the ICC. The PCB had not unilaterally finalised the trophy tour schedule,” the source added.
Shah, who is set to takeover as ICC chief on 1 December, reportedly told the global cricket body that PCB planning a trophy tour in PoK was unacceptable.
“BCCI secretary Shah has objected to the PCB’s idea to hold a Champions Trophy tour in PoK. The BCCI has no problem if the tour is conducted in any other city of Pakistan or even in a stadium outside PoK or in a mall. But they cannot hold it in PoK,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by IE.
The Champions Trophy, last hosted in 2017, has already faced controversy, with the BCCI asking its matches be relocated to Dubai due to security concerns—a proposal the PCB has refused to accept.
Scheduled from 19 February to 9 March next year, the Champions Trophy will feature the top eight cricket teams, with Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi as host cities.
The trophy tour serves as a promotional activity for the ICC tournament.
With India wanting to play all its matches in Dubai, the tournament might adopt a hybrid model, similar to the Asia Cup, where India’s matches were held in Sri Lanka while Pakistan hosted the rest.
However, reports suggest that the Pakistan government has asked the PCB not to agree to India’s demand to shift its Champions Trophy matches to Dubai.