ICC officially approves hybrid model for Champions Trophy 2025

Team India players celebrating the wicket of Pakistan batsman (Pic: File Pic)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially agreed to the hybrid model for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 which will be hosted by Pakistan.

Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, the event will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Dubai as per the agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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Vikrant Gupta took to his official social media handle to break out the news. Taking to X:

Previously, solely Pakistan was supposed to host the Champions Trophy 2025, but due to the political tensions between India and Pakistan, the BCCI was not ready to travel the country.

According to a top ICC source, the decision was more or less finalised during an informal meeting between the body's new President Jay Shah and the Board of Directors, including Pakistan, at its headquarters in Dubai.

Notably, Pakistan has travelled to India for the 2016 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup. The two archrivals last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 in India, comprising white-ball matches. Currently, they primarily face each other in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.

The Champions Trophy was introduced in 1998 with the intention of improving the quality and accessibility of the sport, particularly by involving only associate nations in the early editions. Over time, the tournament grew in stature, eventually including full ICC members, and became one of the premier events in world cricket, alongside the ICC Cricket World Cup.