Shocking! BCCI sends Rajeev Shukla to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final

The vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Rajeev Shukla is all set to visit Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 final. Shukla will attend the second semi-final of the tournament which is set to be held at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.

It is a big decision from the BCCI to allow Rajeev Shukla to travel to Pakistan. India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads with each other for the last few months over the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy.

Despite Pakistan are the hosts for the tournament, India didn't travel there to play their games. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) tried its best to bring Team India to play in their country but to no avail.

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Rajeev Shukla to witness 2nd CT 2025 semi-final

According to Sports Tak, Rajeev Shukla will leave for Pakistan on March 4, a day before the second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand. He will attend the match on March 5, which will take place at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Rajeev Shukla will return to India on March 6 after spending two nights in Pakistan. He will be joined by some of the top PCB officials during the game which can also turn out to be the last match of the tournament in Pakistan.

Rajeev Shukla also visited Pakistan in 2023 to attend the opening match of the Asia Cup. He travelled to the neighboring country alongside BCCI's president Roger Binny.

The venue for the final will be decided after the semi-final fixture between India and Australia in Dubai. If India win the game, the final will be played in Dubai but if Australia win, the final will be played in Lahore.

What if the match gets washed out?

There is a reserve day for each of the semi-finals and the final of the tournament. If the second semi-final on March 5 gets washed out, it will be played on March 6. If the match gets washed out on both days, then the team with more points on the group stage will qualify further.

In this case, South Africa have 5 points to their name with 2 wins and 1 no result. On the other hand, New Zealand have 4 points to their name with 2 wins and 1 defeat. Hence, South Africa will go through to the final if the match gets washed out on both days.

A no. of matches in this tournament have been affected by rain. The venues for the rain-affected games have been Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The tussle between BCCI and PCB

The BCCI and the PCB have been in a tussle with each other for the last few months. Being the hosts of the tournament, Pakistan were expected to host all the matches. All the countries agreed to visit the country except India.

The BCCI didn't send the Indian team to Pakistan as they cited the denial of the Indian government to allow the team to travel there. The PCB protested against the BCCI's decision but the tournament was finally decided to be held in a hybrid model.

According to it, the Men in Blue will play all their games in Dubai. Even if they qualify for the knockouts, their matches will be held in Dubai and they won't be required to travel to Pakistan. The venue for the final will be either Lahore or Dubai, depending on India's appearance.