Pakistan board chairman Mohsin Naqvi ‘confident’ of India’s visit for Champions Trophy 2025

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to start on February 19, with the final set for March 9, and Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi earmarked as the venues. India haven’t sent their team to Pakistan since July 2008 due to political tensions between the two countries.

However, Naqvi is confident India will make it to Pakistan next year and that the preparations are on schedule. He further stated that the stadiums would “definitely” be in a much better shape to host the ICC tournament.

“The Indian team should come. I don’t see them cancel or postpone coming here and we are confident we will host all the teams in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan,” he said in Lahore. “The stadiums will also be ready to host the matches on schedule and any remaining work would be completed after the tournament. In a way, you can say that we are going to have a brand new stadium.”

Naqvi was asked whether he would meet S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs of India, who will be visiting Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) conclave on October 15-16, but he played it down. “He is coming but I don’t think the details of his meetings have been set.” BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla had recently said that the final call about India visiting Pakistan for the Champions Trophy will be taken by the Indian government.

Naqvi also said he had inquired from the selection committee – including the captain and head coach of the teams – whether it was the right time to introduce some fresh blood in the national sides. “They said they are okay with the current set-up of players so I told them ‘fine, it is your call’.”