The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly identified a 20-day window to host the return of Champions Trophy next year, from February 19 to March 9 in Pakistan. Notably, the eight-team ODI tournament, called the Champions Trophy, was last played in 2017, when Pakistan defeated India in the final at The Oval in London, to win the coveted title.
As per the report from Cricbuzz, the exact match days for the Champions Trophy 2025 edition are yet to be finalised, but it will go down during a 20-day window early next year. The eight teams, who are slated to take part in the upcoming Champions Trophy, include the hosts Pakistan along with the top seven teams from the ODI World Cup 2023, namely Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, England, and Bangladesh.
It has been revealed that the ICC has shared the tentative dates of the Champions Trophy with the members boards, which will allow them to adjust their franchise league schedules. The ILT20 and SA20 have already released their tournament schedules for next year, and it isn’t going to clash with the CT 2025.
Moreover, there is still no clarity around whether India will be sending their men’s cricket team to Pakistan to take part in the Champions Trophy 2025. Last year, the Asia Cup, which was set to be held in its entirety in Pakistan, got underway as per the hybrid model, wherein the match of India, including the final were played in Sri Lanka, while the tournament kickstarted in Pakistan.
As per the Cricbuzz sources, the situation around the Indian cricket team potentially travelling to play Champions Trophy in Pakistan will become a bit clearer in the next two months.