India-Pakistan Champions Trophy clash in Dubai on February 23: Report

The first semifinal and the final, if India manage to qualify, will take place in the UAE. Otherwise, the two big matches will be held in Pakistan

By ANI

Published: Mon 23 Dec 2024, 11:16 AM

Last updated: Mon 23 Dec 2024, 7:36 PM

The Indian team will be playing their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches Dubai, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), hosts of the tournament, picking UAE as the neutral venue for the competition, reported ESPNcricinfo.

The big clash between the two bitter South Asian rivals will be held on February 23, Sunday, at Dubai International Stadium.

In the first major decision under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the International Cricket Council (ICC) finally put an end to the Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights issue, deciding that the upcoming event will be played in Pakistan along with another neutral venue. Also, the hybrid model has been decided for all ICC events in the 2024-27 cycle which will be held in India or Pakistan.

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The decision to have UAE as a neutral venue was expected after a meeting of PCB chairperson Mohsin Naqvi, with senior UAE cricket officials, as per ESPNCricinfo.

"The PCB has picked the UAE as a neutral venue for the Champions Trophy," PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Bangladesh and New Zealand are India's competitors in the group other than Pakistan. India will be playing against Bangladesh on February 20 and New Zealand on March 2, with all their matches likely to be held in Dubai.

Pakistan, the defending champions, will be kickstarting the tournament in Karachi against New Zealand on February 19 and their last league match will be against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 27.

The second group will feature: Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa. Other than the Indian matches, the matches for other teams will be played across venues in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, as per ESPNCricinfo.

The two semifinals will be played on March 4 and March 5 respectively, with the first one being without a reserve day. The final scheduled for March 9 will have a reserve day as well.

The first semifinal, if India manage to qualify, will take place in UAE. Otherwise, the match will be in Pakistan. Also, the title clash is slotted for Lahore, with provisions to hold it in UAE if India manage to reach that stage of the tournament.

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