The PCB has also toned down its threat to boycott the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and has show readiness to accept the hybrid hosting option. However, the PCB has set a condition: the ICC must follow the same policy for all the ICC tournaments to be played in India up to 2031. This is with India set to stage three big events in the men’s game in the 2026 T20 World Cup co-hosted with Sri Lanka, the 2029 Champions Trophy, and the 2031 ODI World Cup co-hosted with Bangladesh.
Getting to the hybrid model, a senior PCB source also said that the Board has sought a larger chunk in the ICC’s annual revenue share. This way, while some games in which India is participating will be played in the neutral venues like Dubai due to the security reasons, such as the match against Pakistan has to be played in this manner. The Champions Trophy will be held in the February-March of 2025.
This is a departure from the PCB’s previous position, the chief of which was that if it does not receive full hosting rights and India’s contention that the venue must be neutral, then the PCB would withdraw from the event. ”PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said the board will only endorse hybrid model for champions trophy if the ICC assures that all future cricketing events would also adopt the same format so Pakistan does not have to travel to India for matches,” the source added.
Due to the double-hostinglike format of the T20 world cup in 2026 and the ODI world cup in 2031 Pakistan might not travel to India for all the matches. But still there is problem with the 2029 Champions Trophy which will be hosted by India only.
This conditionality ‘celebrates’ the PCB’s attempts to negotiate the complex intertwining of hosting rights, security risks, and geopolitical considerations together with the attempts to level the playing field for the future ICC events.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates