Champions Trophy deadlock: ICC, PCB adopt ‘hybrid model’ for hosting international tournaments

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have reached a consensus to adopt the hybrid model for hosting international tournaments that would be played in India and Pakistan, a step possibly ending all deadlock over hosting the Champions Trophy next year.

The agreement was reportedly reached during the meeting between ICC chief Jay Shah and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai.

The PCB forwarded its formula to the International Cricket Council (ICC), according to which Pakistan and India will play all of their game at a neutral venue for the next three years, sources told ARY News.

Following the Partnership or Fusion Formula, India will not travel to Pakistan and vice versa for their games in the ICC tournaments scheduled for the next three years.

Sources told ARY News that the ICC will take a decision on the matter after holding consultations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The eight-team Champions Trophy is planned to take place in Pakistan’s Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi, but its future remains uncertain due to the ongoing dispute between the PCB and the BCCI.

The BCCI has already informed the ICC that it will not send its team to Pakistan for the tournament, scheduled for February-March 2025.

If media reports are to be believed, India will need to pay a hefty compensation for not travelling to Pakistan.

“During the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play its matches in Sri Lanka. The compensation demanded by PCB for the Champions Trophy hybrid model is still under consideration,” a source told Indian news agency PTI.

Apart from Pakistan hosting Champions Trophy next year, India is also scheduled to organise several international tournaments in the country in upcoming years.

India did not travel to Pakistan to play a cricket tournament since the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

The last bilateral series played between the two nations was in 2012, when Pakistan visited India to play cricket.

India and Pakistan played their last ICC encounter during the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies this year.