In a breakthrough move, the ICC has approved the hybrid model for the upcoming Champions Trophy. So the decks have been cleared for the tournament to take place in Pakistan and a neutral venue, which will be revealed soon.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will now go ahead with India playing their matches at a neutral venue, while the rest of the tournament takes place in Pakistan.
The agreed hybrid model will also apply to future ICC tournaments scheduled in India and Pakistan between 2024 and 2027.
According to the resolution, India’s matches in ICC events hosted by Pakistan will take place at a neutral venue, while Pakistan’s games in events hosted by India will be held at a neutral venue. The knockout matches, like the semi-final and final, also come under this agreement, provided India and Pakistan qualify for it.
This hybrid model agreement has paved the way for India and Pakistan to host ICC events without any hiccups in the future. The agreement comes into effect with the Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, followed by the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (India) and Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
However, the T20 World Cup 2026 won’t be a big headache as Pakistan can play all their games in Sri Lanka. If India and Pakistan are also put into one group, then their matches will also take place in Sri Lanka, including knockouts.
The hybrid model will also be in place for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028, which Pakistan will stage in the next cycle.
There’s one clause though in the agreement, allowing the host board to select the neutral venue for the event staged by them. So Pakistan have the choice to select the neutral venue for the Champions Trophy 2025 while retaining the complete hosting rights.
This hybrid model agreement has relieved all boards and the ICC from the back and forth, with future events going ahead on their schedules. Before this, there was uncertainty about whether India would travel to Pakistan or not and vice versa, but this agreement now has put an end to all the confusion.
