UAE confirmed as neutral venue for ICC Champions Trophy, India vs Pakistan match in Dubai: Report

Dubai and Colombo are talked about as the potential neutral venues for the ICC Champions Trophy. In the end, Dubai has been selected.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the host of the ICC Champions Trophy, has finalised Dubai as the neutral venue where the India cricket team will play all of its matches. Mohsin Naqvi, PCB Chief, had indicated that the final decision would come on December 22, and so it has.

Dubai to host India vs Pakistan match

Last night (December 21), Naqvi met with the Emirates Cricket Board’s (ECB) head, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, in Ghotki, Pakistan. The very next day, Dubai, UAE, was confirmed as the neutral venue for the ICC Champions Trophy, according to GeoNews.

The PCB-BCCI deal

After a long stalemate between the PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on December 19, it was confirmed that the ICC Champions Trophy will be played in a hybrid model. To sweeten the deal for the PCB, the ICC granted the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 to Pakistan and assured them that they would play all of the India vs Pakistan matches for the next four years in a neutral venue. This means that Pakistan won’t play India at the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India.

Since then, all the focus has shifted towards the neutral venue. For months now, Dubai has been talked about as the venue for Team India’s matches. Colombo somehow entered the chat, but given how Pakistan played their cricket in the UAE during Pakistan’s international exile, it’s not a shock that Dubai has been selected as the venue for the high-octane India vs Pakistan match.

Date for India vs Pakistan match in Champions Trophy, yet to be confirmed?

The only topic of discussion left now is the dates. According to PCB’s previous tentative schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy, the India vs Pakistan match was to take place on March 1. But recent reports suggested that it will be moved up a week to February 23. The PCB or ICC are yet to confirm that.