Basit Ali, the ex-Pakistan cricketer, has made a startling claim that the Indian cricket team’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan is “70% confirmed.” The 53-year-old also went on to reveal that the BCCI has had talks on the matter with the concerned parties, and the ball is in the court of the Prime Minister of India, who will make the final decision about whether the Men in Blue play in Pakistan or not.
Notably, as per the recent reports, the ICC delegation is scheduled to travel to Lahore in Pakistan from November 10 to 12, to assess the preparation of the venue for next year’s Champions Trophy, which will mark the return of the tournament after a seven-year absence. During this visit, the official schedule of the Champions Trophy is expected to be unveiled, which is reportedly set to happen from February 19 to March 9, 2025.
Lahore walo, India ki mehman-nawazi ke liye taiyar ho jao: Basit Ali
In his latest video on YouTube, Basit Ali addressed the situation surrounding the Indian cricket team’s participation in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, and said, as per MSN, “Lahore walo, India ki mehman-nawazi ke liye taiyar ho jao (Lahore, get ready to host India). Like the way they did in India, be big-hearted as hosts. It’s 70% confirmed, BCCI ki baat ho gayi hai (BCCI has had talks). It’s in the hands of the Prime Minister of India now, whether he says yes (to play in Lahore) or no, in which case a hybrid model will be adopted.”
“But 70% confirmed that we will host India in Lahore. On November 11, the schedule for the Champions Trophy will be announced,” added Basit Ali.
Furthermore, if the Indian government doesn’t allow the Men in Blue to travel to Pakistan to play the Champions Trophy 2025, then there are rumours about ICC opting for the hybrid model to host their matches. This is something Basit Ali also claimed about happening since India’s political relationship with Pakistan aren’t on best of terms.