Hyderabad: A fresh controversy has erupted regarding the Champions Trophy 2025 as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has objected to wearing the jerseys with the host nation, Pakistan’s name on it for the upcoming Champions Trophy according to a report by news agency IANS. A few media reports have also claimed that the the decision by the BCCI has left the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fuming and they hope for an intervention from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the matter.
A PCB official claimed that BCCI is bringing politics into cricket.
"BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not at all good for the game. They refused to travel to Pakistan. They don't want to send their captain (to Pakistan) for the opening ceremony, now there are reports that they don't want the host nation's (Pakistan) name printed on their jersey. We believe that the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and support Pakistan," the PCB official, on condition of anonymity, told the agency.
According to the ritual, it is customary for the participating teams to feature the host nation’s name on their jersey even if the tournament is being held elsewhere. For example, Pakistan’s jersey in the 2021 T20 World Cup featured India’s name on it despite the tournament taking place in the UAE. Also, when Pakistan participated in the 2016 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup in India, they had host nation’s name on their jerseys.
The fresh row further adds to the ongoing tensions between BCCI and PCB as the former had already refused to travel to the country for the competition and will play their fixtures in the UAE. The eight-team tournament will commence on February 19 and will conclude on March 9. The 15 matches in the competition will be hosted across three venues - Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
