On Friday, December 15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that they had signed the hosting rights agreement for the 2025 Champions Trophy with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The previous Champions Trophy took place in 2017, in England and Wales, with Pakistan beating India in the final.
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The signing took place at the ICC headquarters in Dubai, with Jonathan Hall, the General Counsel of the organization and Zaka Ashraf, head of the Cricket Management Committee running PCB at the moment, in attendance.
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Pakistan to receive compensation in case venue for 2025 Champions Trophy is shifted
While Pakistan have successfully signed the hosting rights agreement for the 2025 Champions Trophy, meaning that there are chances that India's neighbours might very well be the hosts of the tournament, it is also possible that the venue might be moved amid security concerns and political rifts.
The PCB, though, stated that preparations are in full flow to ensure a smooth tournament without having to be bothered about security.
“The PCB in its capacity has already intimated the government to provide foolproof security to visiting international teams for the Champions Trophy. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in a recent meeting with Chairman PCB Management Committee assured the security agencies’ cooperation in the successful hosting of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” the PCB wrote in a press release.
However, given India's downright refusal and rejection of playing cricket in Pakistan (the 2023 Asia Cup followed a hybrid model where India's games took place outside Pakistan), the chances of India playing the 2025 Champions Trophy are almost certainly negligible.
In a situation where India shut down any possibility of playing in Pakistan, which leads to ICC opting for a hybrid venue model or completely moving the Champions Trophy out of Pakistan, the PCB will receive compensation.
Signing the hosting rights agreement serves as an unbreakable promise by ICC to allow PCB to receive the necessary compensation after they were announced as the hosts on November 16, 2021.
According to CNN News 18 journalist Sahil Malhotra, regardless of where the Champions Trophy takes place, "Pakistan will remain 'hosts' and enjoy all the benefits of being hosts: direct qualification to the tournament, hosting fees, stadium gate receipts."
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