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Can India back out of the ICC Champions Trophy? Here’s what might happen if they do. The Indian cricket team is pretty much sure not to go to Pakistan next year to play in the Champions Trophy. Let’s look at what could occur if Rohit Sharma’s guys choose to skip it.
The ICC Champions Trophy set to happen in Pakistan next year, is going through a familiar issue. BCCI has said no to going to Pakistan for the event. Pakistan tried to make things easier by picking Lahore as the only place for the Indian team to play. They hoped this would help deal with safety worries and get the Indian board to say yes. But it looks like that’s not working out. The BCCI has suggested other places like Dubai and Sri Lanka for their games in a mixed setup.
Though no official talks about the BCCI’s idea have happened yet, the Pakistan Cricket Board might not have many choices except to do what the Indian board wants. But, if they push to have all the games in Pakistan, the Indian team could drop out of the tournament because of safety worries. It’s pretty unlikely that their government would give them the okay to go.
If India decides not to play in the Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka will take their spot. This is because Sri Lanka came in 9th in the 2023 ODI World Cup rankings. Last year, Pakistan was supposed to host the Asia Cup 2023. But India’s government didn’t let the team go there so they moved their games to Sri Lanka.
The Indian cricket team hasn’t played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup. These days, they face each other in ICC or ACC events. In the T20 World Cup 2024, India beat Pakistan by six runs in their group match. They went on to win the cup for the second time.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be the first big international cricket event Pakistan hosts by itself. Pakistan teamed up with India and Sri Lanka to host the World Cup back in 1996. Before that, it joined forces with India to put on the Reliance Cup in 1987.
