Hasan Ali said, “We’ll play without them,” when asked if India would still travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy in 2025

The main event, the ICC Champions, is scheduled to take place in Pakistan in February 2025. The eight-team competition will get underway in Karachi on February 19 and conclude on March 9 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Three locations in all have been selected to play host to the tournament.

The BCCI’s rejection to allow travel to Pakistan, however, raises the possibility that the competition may be held outside of Pakistan. As backup locations for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates are in the lead.

Veteran Pakistani cricketer Hasan Ali responded to the same news by saying that the tournament need to be hosted in Pakistan and that it ought to be staged without India if that nation chooses not to send players there.

“They should travel to Pakistan as well if we’re travelling there to play (in India). Numerous people have often stated that politics and sports should not mix. On the other hand, several Indian athletes have expressed in interviews that they would like to play in Pakistan. Thus, the squad is very much interested in attending; it doesn’t imply they don’t want to. However, it is evident that they must take into account their own board, nation, and regulations “Hasan stated on Samaa TV.

Also Read: PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi: “No hybrid model, it’s the ICC’s job to bring India to Pakistan for Champions Trophy.”

“The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan if that is where our (PCB) chairman has stated it will. India is free to skip the game if they so choose. Pakistan ought to host cricket matches, and just because India chooses not to take part doesn’t imply the sport is dead. Other than India, there are numerous other teams,” he continued.

During the Asia Cup last year, Team India faced off against Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that the Asia Cup was scheduled to take place in Pakistan in 2023, and that the Indian squad last travelled there in 2008. However, the competition was held in a hybrid format because India refused to travel. The Indian squad participated in the competition and even won it after playing its games in Sri Lanka.