The Rawalpindi Stadium is set to lose the possibility of becoming a venue for the Champions Trophy in 2025, since global broadcasters advised cutting the site of the tournament’s hosting from four to three venues, citing reasons of logistics and finance.
Sources suggest that four venues for hosting matches were seen as impractical by the broadcasters, as it led to an increase in expenses and logistical woes. The resultant venues that the tournament would likely see would be Karachi, Lahore, and either Dubai or Sri Lanka, which are currently under consideration as the primary venues.
In addition, Rawalpindi was supposed to venue one of the semi-finals of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which has now become an empty proposition with the acceptance of the hybrid model between PCB and BCCI.
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The formal schedule regarding the Champions Trophy should be announced today, as the agreement is under consideration and being reviewed with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In a connected and momentous development, it is reported that both cricket boards of Pakistan and India have agreed on a “neutral venue formula” for both countries to be a part of ICC tournaments without playing in each other’s territory.
Under this agreement, Pakistan is to play its ICC-sanctioned matches in neutral venues until 2027. Alongside, India too would play its matches hosted by Pakistan on neutral grounds.
This arrangement would cover the following ICC events in the pipeline:
- Asia Cup 2025 (hosted by Pakistan)
- T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India)
This would soon be formalized and given approval by ICC since later it would ensure participation from both sides in the marquee tournaments.
While the final decision is awaited from ICC, the anticipated exclusion of Rawalpindi as a venue would be a disappointment for the local fans but is in line with the priorities of global broadcasters to smoothen operations and control costs.