Will India participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan? PCB requests confirmation from BCCI 

The BCCI and Indian government have not yet announced if India will be participating in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Will India participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan? PCB requests confirmation from BCCI 

India's participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy is not yet confirmed (Image via ESPN)

The Indian cricket team has not toured Pakistan since 2006 due to political tensions between the two countries. Since 2012, the teams have not played any bilateral series, meeting only in multinational tournaments. 

With the 2025 Champions Trophy set to be played in Pakistan, there has been a cloud of doubt regarding India’s participation. Anurag Thakur, the Sports Minister, said the government and Home Ministry will soon make a decision, but the PCB wants an immediate confirmation. 

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Mohsin Naqvi, the latest chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, wants BCCI to confirm their participation for the 2025 CT. He will be asking BCCI secretary, Jay Shah, in the upcoming ICC meeting regarding India’s 2025 CT plans. The PCB does not want to repeat the Hybrid Model they used for the 2023 Asia Cup as India were not ready to travel to Pakistan. 

Shane Watson approached by PCB to become latest Pakistan coach

Since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, Pakistan have had an entire overhaul of their management. Mohammad Hafeez temporarily held the role of team director and head coach, but was forced to resign. Now the PCB has started to search for his successor and have identified Shane Watson as an option. 

Shane Watson
Shane Watson during a post-match interview (Image via ESPN)

Watson’s first stint as a coach came in the IPL, being Ricky Ponting’s assistant at Delhi Capitals. He has coached in Major League Cricket as well, coaching San Francisco Unicorns. Watson is currently the head coach of Quetta Gladiators, with the team close to reaching the play-offs for the first time since 2019. 

ESPNcricinfo claims Darren Sammy, the current white-ball captain of West Indies, is also another candidate. He coached Peshawar Zalmi from 2020 till 2023, leading them to the finals in 2021. 

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