Why is IND vs PAK match of 2025 Champions Trophy taking place in Dubai instead of Pakistan?

The much-awaited 2025 Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, February 23. Several fans have wondered why the marquee match is taking place in Dubai instead of Pakistan, the host nation.

Pakistan and India were involved in a stalemate situation, with the latter making it clear that the Men in Blue wouldn't travel to their neighboring country due to security concerns. The refusal did not go down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) eventually approved a hybrid model, with India playing all their matches, including the group match against Pakistan, in Dubai. As per the compromise, Pakistan won't visit India for the 2026 T20 World Cup group-stage match. Instead, the game will be played in Sri Lanka, the co-host of the showpiece event.

An arrangement was made so that all the matches between India and Pakistan during the 2024-2027 cycle will be played at a neutral venue. This includes the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Women's World Cup.

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Pakistan elect to bat first in IND vs PAK match of 2025 Champions Trophy

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bat first in the 2025 Champions Trophy match against India. It will be a must-win encounter for the Men in Green to stay afloat in the tournament.

The defending champions suffered a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in the opening encounter. India, on the other hand, clinched a six-wicket victory in their first Group A match against Bangladesh.

Here are the two playing XIs for the IND vs PAK 2025 Champions Trophy match:

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav.