The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced the itinerary for a nationwide trophy tour of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which included stops in Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad—cities located in the disputed region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The tour was scheduled to start on November 16 and would run through November 24, allowing fans to view the prestigious trophy that Pakistan last won in 2017 under the captaincy of Sarfaraz Ahmed.
However, reports indicate that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has now directed the PCB to exclude these disputed areas from the tour after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) raised concerns.
India had previously conveyed its reluctance to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, which is set to take place in February-March 2025, due to ongoing political tensions between the two nations.
In response, the PCB has reached out to the ICC, seeking clarification on India’s stance and expressing disappointment at the restriction placed on the trophy tour.