The 2025 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will be played from February 19 to March 9 across three venues in India and one in Dubai. Due to tense political relations between the two countries for more than a decade, India will not travel to Pakistan and will instead play all its matches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Despite India not travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy matches, the Indian tricolour was spotted at the National Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday, February 18, on the eve of the tournament’s opener.
In several pictures going viral on the internet, the Indian flag can be seen at the National Stadium, which is set to host the Champions Trophy opener between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand on Wednesday, February 19.
The news of the Indian flag in Pakistan is making headlines because, in a video that went viral a couple of days ago, the flags of all participating nations except India were showcased on one of the roofs of Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
After the Indian flag was seen missing in the viral video, fans claimed that it was deliberately done by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which later broke its silence on the controversy and said that it was an ICC directive.
“The ICC has advised that only four flags will be hoisted on Champions Trophy 2025 match days—ICC (Event Authority), PCB (Event Host), and the two sides competing on that day. Simple,” a PCB official had told Hindustan Times.
The Indian men’s cricket team last travelled to Pakistan in June-July 2008 to take part in the Asia Cup. Since then, Team India has not crossed the border to play cricket matches against the Pakistani team. In the last 17 years, only once has Pakistan travelled to India (in December 2012-January 2013) to play bilateral series (T20Is and ODIs) and three times to play ICC tournaments (2011 ODI World Cup semifinal, 2016 T20 World Cup, 2023 ODI World Cup).
India is set to host the 2025 edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, and it remains to be seen if the Pakistan women’s team will travel to India to play its matches.
