ICC Champions Trophy meeting: 3 possible outcomes of the discussion on November 29

The long and agonizing impasse over the ICC Champions Trophy is expected to find a solution when the International Cricket Council meets with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the heads of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), at a meeting on November 29. The hurdle over the tournament’s schedule arose after the BCCI refused to send the Indian team to the event in Pakistan based on government guidelines. On the other hand, the PCB has no intention of moving the tournament to a hybrid mode with India’s matches being played in the UAE.

With the PCB and BCCI refusing to change their stance, the onus is on the ICC to find a middle ground that would help the tournament take shape. The only agenda for Friday’s meeting remains to reach an agreement between the representatives of Pakistan and India on a common model.

In all likelihood, there are only three possible outcomes of the meeting left. They are:

Result 1: The ICC sided with India on the hybrid model and Pakistan was left with no choice but to accept it, albeit reluctantly.

Result 2: Pakistan rejects and boycotts the tournament, prompting the ICC to move it to another country such as the UAE or South Africa.

Result 3: The tournament is canceled or postponed indefinitely (only possible if a solution is not found), which entails large financial losses for everyone.

The Indian team’s refusal to come to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy is also sure to affect the Pakistani team’s future plans. If the Champions Trophy is taken out of Pakistan (in whole or in part), the PCB is also likely to boycott future ICC events in India. Such events are:

2025: Women’s ODI World Cup

2025: Asian Cup for men.

2026: Men’s T20 World Cup (with Sri Lanka)

2029: Men’s Champions Trophy

2031: ODI World Cup (with Bangladesh)

However, the ICC’s priority currently remains to break the Champions Trophy 2025 impasse. Future issues can be resolved on a case-by-case basis.