Virat Kohli and Babar Azam during Asia Cup (Source:@HassanAbbasian/X.com)
Pakistan currently have the hosting rights of Champions Trophy 2025, but India has made it clear that they will not travel to their neighbouring country which has complicated matters. BCCI and ICC are trying to convince Pakistan for the hybrid model, but PCB is not interested and want all matches to be played in their own country. They have also threatened to pull of the competition if the tournament is moved out of Pakistan, and plenty of deliberations and debates are going around in the cricketing world.
Amidst this precarious situation, a renowned Indian journalist Vikrant Gupta has stated that if Pakistan pulls out of the competition, India might host the event. This would be a big change and a one that will hurt the pride of Pakistan. Vikrant Gupta in his claims on SportsTak YouTube channel said the talks relating to the shifting of event has started in BCCI circles, and added that the popularity of cricket in India would help the tournament to prosper.
India As Host To Compensate Broadcasters Loss
However, Vikrant Gupta accepted that not having Pakistan would be a big dent to the tournament's popularity and broadcasters would be affected. However, he added that hosting the tournament in India could help compensate those losses more than any other country.
It remains to be seen how the story unfolds in the upcoming days, but Pakistan and ICC are surely in a difficult situation after India's strict stance. UAE was earlier stated as the best possible venue for India matches if Pakistan agree to the hybrid model, however, if they do not, South Africa too is looked as a possible option.
The Indian cricket team last travelled to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2008 while Pakistan recently played the ODI World Cup in India in 2023.