Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for a Muslim-majority country, said that ICC approving the hybrid model for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan is a win-win situation for the BCCI and Indian team.
In an interaction with IANS, Danish Kaneria said that the BCCI has found itself in a win-win situation with the Champions Trophy 2025 happening in a hybrid model. He also slammed people saying that Pakistan have won this battle, calling them illiterate. He termed the awarding of the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup as a lollipop.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matter has finally been resolved as the tournament will be played in a hybrid model. Apart from the games of India and one semi-final, all the other games in the event will be taking place in Pakistan across three venues.
BCCI, PCB agree on hybrid model for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday approved the hybrid model for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, ending a month-long deadlock over the venue for the competition. This means that hosts and defending champions Pakistan will play India at a yet-to-be-decided neutral venue.
“India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC board confirmed,” said a statement released by the global body.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will feature eight teams — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa — divided in two groups of four followed by semi-finals and a final.
India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the event due to security concerns. PCB had earlier declined to play the ICC Champions Trophy as per the hybrid model, but backed down after settling on neutral venues for both sides in ICC tournaments.
The hybrid model will also extend to next year’s women’s World Cup to be hosted in India and the men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be organized jointly by India and Sri Lanka. In both competitions, the hybrid model will also apply to knockout games as well.
Pakistan will also host the 2028 women’s T20 World Cup, the first tournament of the next events cycle, and it remains to be seen whether the hybrid model will extend to that competition as well. The last edition of ICC Champions Trophy was held in 2017 which Pakistan won after beating India in the final.
The Champions Trophy controversy snowballed into a major crisis after the BCCI announced that the Indian team would not travel to Pakistan for the matches, tentatively scheduled from February 19 to March 9. This triggered a tripartite standoff involving the ICC, BCCI, and PCB. With Jay Shah assuming the role of ICC chairman during this period, it became the responsibility of the BCCI secretary to resolve the impasse.
Pakistan is set to host the 8-nation ICC event, their first since the 1996 World Cup, from February 19 to March 9. Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi will host the matches, while the Indian team’s matches will be played in Dubai. A semi-final and final will also be played in UAE, in case India qualifies.
India and Pakistan matches hosted by any nation at ICC Events during the 2024–2027 rights cycle will take place at a neutral location, the ICC executive board declared last week.
Additionally, the PCB has been granted the right to host the 2028 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with neutral venue agreements also being in place. Danish Kaneria, a former spinner for Pakistan, believes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are equally benefiting from the “lollipop” of hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028.
Danish Kaneria says Pakistan given lollipop to get Champions Trophy 2025 hybrid model approved