ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Trophy tour to start from Islamabad on November 16; to travel to Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi

Hyderabad: Even as the conundrum over the schedule and India’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 continues, the winners’ Champions Trophy will commence a trophy tour in the country from Saturday, November 16.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been provisionally scheduled from February 19, 2025 to March 9. 2025. Stadiums in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi will host the marquee ICC multi-nation event.

As the stalemate over India’s participation, the stakeholders’ interests arising out of any pull-outs, the possible venues etc, continues, the ICC has not announced the final schedule till date.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has submitted a provisional schedule to the ICC, slotting all India’s matches in Lahore, given the Pakistan city’s proximity to the Indian border, and the final too.

However, the ICC is yet to make a formal announcement over the tournament.

The trophy, however, flew from the ICC headquarters in Dubai to Islamabad late on Thursday. The PCB said that the official trophy tour would begin from Islamabad and will also cover Skardu in northern Pakistan. Skardu is a region that comes under a part of the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, which is located in the disputed Kashmir region.

The trophy tour will cover major Pakistani cities where the Champions Trophy matches will be played – Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.

The ICC had plans of unveiling the trophy in a glittering function in Lahore earlier this week – marking the 100 days countdown to the marquee tournament – but the function had to be shelved after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed India’s inability to travel to Pakistan, toeing the government’s directive.

The trophy tour will be held from November 16 to November 24. The PCB is hoping to build on the excitement of hosting a marquee tournament but given the current state of affairs, it is touted to be a dull tour.

The ICC, however, has not made any official announcement on the schedule, the venues and India’s participation in the tournament.

However, many former Pakistan cricketers have lambasted the ICC for not taking a stance yet and criticised India’s move to not play in Pakistan.