ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India set to travel to Pakistan? Diplomatic discussions between officials spark speculations

In an unexpected turn of events, the Indian cricket team is likely to travel to Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March next year.

Recent diplomatic talks between India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Muhammad Ishaq Dar, were about reviving cricket ties between the two nations.

India and Pakistan explore reviving cricketing ties amid ICC Champions Trophy 2025 plans

Mr. S. Jaishankar and Muhammad Ishaq Dar had a groundbreaking interaction over resuming the cricketing ties between India and Pakistan during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

It was the first face-to-face discussion between the foreign ministers regarding the cricketing rivalry since 2015. It is being said that the discussions took place during two informal meetings held over 24 hours.

The first discussion took place during a dinner hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the other at a lunch following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) plenary session.

Reports revealed that Indian foreign minister Jaishankar, who is a cricket fan, took the opportunity to raise the matter of resuming cricketing ties with Muhammad Ishaq Dar during their meeting. The conversations also included insights from Pakistan's Interior Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi.

India set to travel to Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy 2025!

A Pakistani journalist from Geo News posted on X: “Foreign Minister of India S. Jaishankar and Deputy PM of Pakistan Ishaq Dar started conversation during the SCO summit with the discussion of cricket, including the Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled in Pakistan. #SCOPakistan.”

🚨 BIG BREAKING - Foreign Minister of India S. Jaishankar and Deputy PM of Pakistan Ishaq Dar started conversation during SCO summit with the discussion of cricket including Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled in Pakistan. #SCOPakistan

— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) October 16, 2024

.Breaking : #Pakistan #India agreed to first talk on #cricket resumption . Details will be finalised later . For more details of my news keep watching @geonews_urdu and #TalkShock on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/jn6Vbm0UdM

— Azaz Syed (@AzazSyed) October 16, 2024

However, it is just the beginning of something fresh between India and Pakistan, but these discussions could pave the way for the Indian cricket team to set foot on Pakistani soil for the first time in nearly two decades, particularly for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

PCB proposes Lahore as venue to ease India’s security concerns for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The PCB is actively working to ensure that India come to Pakistan for the upcoming tournament, offering various proposals to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is being said that the PCB suggested the BCCI hold India’s group stage matches of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore, allowing the Indian cricket team to return to their base after each game to address their security concerns.

However, the situation is far from straightforward, as the broadcasters are advocating for matches to be held in additional venues, such as Rawalpindi, which complicates logistical planning and raises questions about the security arrangements of the team.

Despite the hopeful signs of cricket diplomacy, the deep-rooted political and security challenges between the two nations—India and Pakistan—remain a significant hurdle. As far as the bilateral ties between India and Pakistan, both nations have busy international cricket schedules, making it difficult to arrange a bilateral series ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025.

Presently, India is taking on New Zealand in the three-match Test series in Bengaluru while Pakistan is playing England in a three-match Test series at home. Both series are part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25.