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- India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on Feb. 20
- Dubai will host India’s Champions Trophy matches due to tensions with Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: India’s national cricket squad arrived in Dubai this week to take part in the Champions Trophy 2025 cricket tournament hosted by Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed this week.
Led by skipper Rohit Sharma, India will begin their campaign to win the trophy on Feb. 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai.
India’s government refused to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament due to political tensions and security concerns. As a result, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed that India will play all of its matches in Dubai as a form of a hybrid model.
“Touchdown Dubai,” BCCI wrote on its Instagram profile on Saturday. “Indian cricket team has arrived for Champions Trophy 2025.”
A video uploaded by the BCCI shows Indian cricketers Sharma, Virat Kohli and others embarking their tour bus and arriving at their hotel.
India will take on Pakistan in Dubai on Feb. 23 in what is being touted as one of the most anticipated cricket clashes of the year.
India’s matches with Pakistan draw thousands of spectators to stadiums across the globe while millions tune in from their homes.
Defending champions Pakistan beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 by 180 runs to lift the trophy.
Pakistan share Group A with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh. They take on New Zealand in the southern port city of Karachi on Feb. 19.