According to a source by Cricbuzz, CT 2025 Dubai to Host India Matches,The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will serve as the neutral location for India’s Champions Trophy matches, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally informed the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Following a meeting with Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan in Dubai on Sunday, this decision was made. The major clash between India-Pakistan , which is anticipated to take place on February 23, is now almost certain to take place in Dubai. Dubai will be chosen due to its size, even though the UAE has two other international sites in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
“We have conveyed to the ICC that UAE will be the neutral venue for CT 2025 after a meeting between the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi with Sheikh Mubarak Al Nahyan, the chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board in Pakistan on Sunday, ” a spokesman for the PCB said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the ICC board’s ruling, the host board will have the last say in selecting a neutral location for a worldwide event. The PCB considered Sri Lanka as well, but ultimately decided on the UAE.
The PCB has officially notified the ICC of its decision to choose the United Arab Emirates as the neutral venue. The CT 2025 matches between India and Pakistan will now take place in the United Arab Emirates,” a PCB spokesperson stated. “Mohsin Naqvi and Sheikh Al Nahyan met and came to a final decision.”
According to the ICC board’s ruling, the host board will have the last say in selecting a neutral location for a worldwide event. The PCB considered Sri Lanka as well, but ultimately decided on the United Arab Emirates.
The ICC announced earlier on December 19 that it had authorized neutral venues for the India-Pakistan games in the upcoming three-year global events. Its statement had said, “The ICC Board has today approved that matches between India and Pakistan played at ICC Events during the current rights cycle from 2024 to 2027 (which are to be hosted in India or Pakistan) will be played at a neutral venue proposed by the tournament host. This will apply to the ICC CT 2025 (Pakistan), ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (India and Sri Lanka).”
With the neutral location confirmed, the long-running ambiguity surrounding the CT 2025 is now gone, after the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) announcement last month that the Indian squad will not travel to Pakistan. The exact schedule for the eight-team competition, which runs from February 19 to March 9, is expected to be announced by the ICC on Monday.
