With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 reaching its business end, the debate over India’s potential advantage in Dubai has become the talk of the town.
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is playing host to India's Champions Trophy matches. Since the BCCI refused to send its team to Pakistan due to security concerns and uncordial political relations, the ICC adopted a hybrid model, allowing Rohit Sharma’s team to play all of their games in a neutral venue.
India are currently on an unbeaten streak in the eight-team tournament. After beating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group-stage, the Men in Blue outplayed Australia in the semi-final to make their third successive appearance in the Champions Trophy final.
Meanwhile, several former and current cricketers have pointed out that India are getting undue advantage in this competition by playing at just one venue.
Former England David Lloyd has also joined the ‘scheduling’ criticism bandwagon, calling it farcical and laughable.
“It’s really embarrassing that this is one of the highest, most important events in world cricket, and the arrangements of playing are farcical. It’s laughable, that you have to do that. I mean, words fail me,” said Lloyd in a video going viral on social media platform X.
Other seven participating teams in the Champions Trophy have had to travel back and forth between the United Arab Emirates and three cities in Pakistan.
South Africa were compelled to travel to Dubai as part of the tournament's hybrid model, but they returned to Pakistan to face New Zealand in the second semi-final in Lahore on Wednesday (March 5).
“It is just nonsense. I really don’t know how else to describe it, this is a world event. You have teams who go from here to there, you might play here, you might not, you might have to go back,” Lloyd remarked.
“I’m quite a humorous guy and I think that’s quite funny actually, but it’s not so funny if I’m one of the players,” he concluded.
India will now face New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday (March 9). The title clash will also take place in Dubai.
