The team skipper will be going to the host country, Pakistan, to attend the opening ceremony of the famous event, which is coming back after an eight-year break, even though India will play its Champions Trophy matches at a neutral location, according to sources. The Champions Trophy will have a big opening ceremony planned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on February 16 or 17, based on the schedule of warm-up matches. As is customary for ICC events, all team captains are expected to participate in the opening ceremony.
"Indian Team captain will visit Pakistan to attend the opening ceremony of the Champions Trophy as PCB plans a grand event, celebrating the return of a mega international cricket event to Pakistan after 29 years," sources revealed to IANS.
Pakistan will be hosting its first major ICC tournament since co-hosting the 1996 Cricket World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played on February 19.
Pakistan will host the majority of the matches in the hybrid format of the event, although Dubai will host all of India's group matches and the first semi-final.
The championship match will take place in Lahore unless India advances to the final, which would also be transferred to Dubai.
In addition to hosting Pakistan, the eight-team competition will include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa.
In Karachi, the tournament will begin with host Pakistan against New Zealand, and the highly anticipated India vs. The Pakistan match is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.
