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PCB to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 inauguration ceremony on February 16th [Post Updated #40]

Devadwal

Devadwal

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As per reports:

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start without an opening ceremony due to the late arrival of teams. Pre-tournament events like the captains' press conference and official photoshoot in Karachi have been canceled.

Teams' arrival schedules indicate that England and Australia will reach Pakistan closer to the tournament dates, opting out of warm-up matches due to their previous tours.

Despite these changes, the PCB plans to celebrate the tournament with a special event before the Pakistan vs. New Zealand match on February 19 in Karachi.
 
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Maybe they should just VFX Rohit into these promotional events like Star did with the commentators in BGT.

Others can pretend to talk to him like he is there, Rohit has shown to be a good actor himself.
 
As per reports:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced the schedule for the opening events of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is set to take place next month.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has given approval for all related events.

The main opening ceremony for the tournament will be held at Hazoori Bagh in Lahore on February 16, with key national figures, prominent cricketers, and ICC officials expected to attend.

On February 7, the newly upgraded Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host a separate ceremony, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expected to attend as the chief guest.

A second ceremony is scheduled for February 11 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where former President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to be the chief guest.

This comes after the official opening ceremony, initially planned for February 16, was cancelled due to delays in the arrival of two participating teams.

As a result, several pre-tournament activities, including the captains' press conference and the official photoshoot in Karachi, have also been cancelled.

An anonymous ICC official revealed that while both the ICC and PCB were interested in hosting an opening ceremony, logistical challenges, including the schedules of England and Australia and player workload management, made it unfeasible.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have since confirmed the arrival of their teams, with England set to arrive in Lahore on February 18 and Australia on February 19.
 
@BouncerGuy @FearlessRoar changing the headlines won't make any difference.

There is no ICC official ceremony for champions trophy including captain PC and Photoshoots .

PCB can arrange own ceremony even separate for Lahore , Karachi, Pindi or anywhere in the pakistan if they wants

:kp
 
Rajdeep said:
No one does. I am more worried about warm up matches which no one is talking about
Click to expand...
Well,

Everything is a lot more easier when the people dealing with the logistics know all 8 teams are located in the same country.
 
How is this any different from what happened here?

World Cup 2023: Will there be an opening ceremony this time?​

Ahmedabad was scheduled to host the World Cup 2023 opening ceremony on October 4, starting with ‘Captain’s Day’. At 7 pm local time, Bollywood stars including Ranveer Singh, singers Asha Bhosle, Shreya Ghoshal, and Arijit Singh, will be among the performers. A celebration of Indian culture, followed by a laser show and fireworks, are part of the extravaganza as well.

However, there have been reports of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cancelling the grand opening ceremony. Notably, there will be a ceremony before the start of the India-Pakistan game on October 14. However, an official announcement is yet to come.

ICC World Cup 2023: Will there be an opening ceremony at CWC 2023?

India are the sole host of the 50-over World Cup for the first time. Here is all you need to know about the World Cup 2023 opening ceremony – including whether there will be an opening ceremony this time at all.To bet on the World Cup with our Match Centre Partners bet365 head here.
www.wisden.com www.wisden.com
 
Devadwal said:
@BouncerGuy @FearlessRoar changing the headlines won't make any difference.

There is no ICC official ceremony for champions trophy including captain PC and Photoshoots .

PCB can arrange own ceremony even separate for Lahore , Karachi, Pindi or anywhere in the pakistan if they wants

:kp
Click to expand...
Yes, you are right. We are not interested in all these extravagant Bollywood events.
 
emranabbas said:
The funny thing is, India went out of their way to hold an opening ceremony on the same day as the India vs. Pakistan match. So, will Pakistan be returning the favor? What an utter embarrassment for India, honestly!
Click to expand...
India : We don't care about Pakistan

Also Indians : here are some bellydancers, a massive party and 100k stadium full of fans who don't care
 
Rajdeep said:
No one does. I am more worried about warm up matches which no one is talking about
Click to expand...
India is likely to play a warm up match in Dubai , either vs Bangladesh or UAE. ( not confirmed just rumours)

South Africa and NZ are going to Play a tri Series in Pakistan so they don't need .

Australia and England Both will not play any warmup match as they didn't even ask for it .

:kp
 
Devadwal said:
India is likely to play a warm up match in Dubai , either vs Bangladesh or UAE. ( not confirmed just rumours)

South Africa and NZ are going to Play a tri Series in Pakistan so they don't need .

Australia and England Both will not play any warmup match as they didn't even ask for it .

:kp
Click to expand...

Bangladesh is in our group...why should be play them in warm ups? Unless we want to beat them twice.
 
Rajdeep said:
Bangladesh is in our group...why should be play them in warm ups? Unless we want to beat them twice.
Click to expand...

Because Bangladesh is only team which will be present in the dubai at that time .

But now No warmup game for any team in the champion trophy .

Report - The Indian and Bangladesh teams, set to arrive in Dubai on 15 February for their opening match on 20 February, are also expected to skip warm-up games.

:kp
 
Shows the slide of ODIs over the years.

In fact where did the Champions Trophy come from? Such a randomly held tournament: 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2025....
 
cricketjoshila said:
ICC is having a nightmare hosting this tournament.
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True and if this tournament is not much profitable for ICC than they will face more trouble.

Last year World t20, ICC is already faced a big loss in the revenue .

The way things are going for the champion trophy ,situation are not looking good for them.

:kp
 
Devadwal said:
True and if this tournament is not much profitable for ICC than they will face more trouble.

Last year World t20, ICC is already faced a big loss in the revenue .

The way things are going for the champion trophy ,situation are not looking good for them.

:kp
Click to expand...

Allardyce is gone.

Barclay is gone.

Jay Shah will probably serve the entire 6 year term a ICC chairman is allowed. He will have to see how next round of ICC events are allocated.

India will probably again get 3 events, 2 will be co hosts(SL and BD) Australia 2 England 2 and SA one.

WI isn't going to get anything soon.

Pakistan, let's see if ICC wants another headache.
 
FearlessRoar said:
It's all because of the BCCI. Time can change quickly, and who knows, maybe they won’t hold this power in the future.

As the proverb goes 'Every rise has a fall'.
Click to expand...

Are you telling me that ICC had no idea about Indian teams status of not touring Pakistan?

They had no idea about the condition of the stadiums in pakistan?

ICC should have told the Broadcaster and sponsors that India's participation in CT wasn't confirmed. They should have pursued the stadium upgradation process with greater urgency. They failed.

BCCI'S stand hasn't changed in last 15 years.
 
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cricketjoshila said:
Are you telling me that ICC had no idea about Indian teams status of not touring Pakistan?

They had no idea about the condition of the stadiums in pakistan?

ICC should have told the Broadcaster and sponsors that India's participation in CT wasn't confirmed. They should have pursued the stadium upgradation process with greater urgency. They failed.

BCCI'S stand hasn't changed in last 15 years.
Click to expand...

The same BCCI that had no problem with Pakistan getting the hosting rights for CT25?
 
cricketjoshila said:
Are you telling me that ICC had no idea about Indian teams status of not touring Pakistan?

They had no idea about the condition of the stadiums in pakistan?

ICC should have told the Broadcaster and sponsors that India's participation in CT wasn't confirmed. They should have pursued the stadium upgradation process with greater urgency. They failed.

BCCI'S stand hasn't changed in last 15 years.
Click to expand...
and yet even after failure no stadium of ours got the treatment that your local eden garden did when it wasnt prepared on time for the world cup in 2011.

Dont preach what you guys couldnt practice.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
The same BCCI that had no problem with Pakistan getting the hosting rights for CT25?
Click to expand...
Why would BCCI Care about Pakistan hosting rights?

India is not going to play in pakistan due to security reasons .this is simple facts .

BCCI / most of cricket fans were already know that there will be a hybrid model for india in champion trophy 2025.

:kp
 
emranabbas said:
The funny thing is, India went out of their way to hold an opening ceremony on the same day as the India vs. Pakistan match. So, will Pakistan be returning the favor? What an utter embarrassment for India, honestly!
Click to expand...
DeadlyVenom said:
India : We don't care about Pakistan

Also Indians : here are some bellydancers, a massive party and 100k stadium full of fans who don't care
Click to expand...

I think it was a great idea. Bharat vs Pakistan at NMCS, Ahmedabad was the marquee event of the tournament with the best attendance from Cricket fans from all over the world. You had international YouTubers like Speed and many more like him attend that match. It made perfect sense to add some entertainment to that match.

Opening ceremony i think only makes sense if it is a Bharat vs Pakistan kind of a match or something like an IPL (nd PSL?) opening match which a lot of people look forward to watching. There is anticipation for such matches.

In this case i think PCB should still do something for the sold out Pakistani matches and give the fans the best entertainment possible. People are saying its not important but think about from a fans point of view, what’s wrong if the families and couples can go back with memories of their favorite artists performing live in front of them during a cricket match they paid good money to go to? It’s not mandatory but it’s just nice if the investment makes sense.
 
FearlessRoar said:
As per reports:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced the schedule for the opening events of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is set to take place next month.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has given approval for all related events.

The main opening ceremony for the tournament will be held at Hazoori Bagh in Lahore on February 16, with key national figures, prominent cricketers, and ICC officials expected to attend.

On February 7, the newly upgraded Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host a separate ceremony, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expected to attend as the chief guest.

A second ceremony is scheduled for February 11 at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where former President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to be the chief guest.

This comes after the official opening ceremony, initially planned for February 16, was cancelled due to delays in the arrival of two participating teams.

As a result, several pre-tournament activities, including the captains' press conference and the official photoshoot in Karachi, have also been cancelled.

An anonymous ICC official revealed that while both the ICC and PCB were interested in hosting an opening ceremony, logistical challenges, including the schedules of England and Australia and player workload management, made it unfeasible.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have since confirmed the arrival of their teams, with England set to arrive in Lahore on February 18 and Australia on February 19.
Click to expand...
too many ceremonies for one event... seems like a wedding with functions such as Mehndi, Barat, Valima, etc.
 
cricketjoshila said:
ICC gave the hosting rights. It's ICC's headache.
Click to expand...

A headache created by BCCI. Simply back out of the tournament if you don’t want to travel to Pakistan, let ICC deal with whatever happens after.

“In November 2021 the ICC board allocated hosting rights for various global events in the 2024-31 rights cycle to several boards. The PCB, which had bid for two events, was allocated the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ICC board approved the hosts based on recommendations drawn up by a smaller working group that included Sourav Ganguly, then the BCCI president, and Ehsan Mani, the former PCB chair and ICC head. That ICC board was headed by Greg Barclay. Ganguly, one would assume, had the backing of the Indian board, whose secretary was Jay Shah (who takes charge as ICC chairman from December 1).”

This was the stance of BCCI back in 2021.
 
As per reports:

Several team captains, including India's Rohit Sharma, are unlikely to attend the pre-tournament events in Pakistan due to security concerns and scheduling issues. India has decided not to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, citing safety reasons, and will instead play all their matches in Dubai. This decision has led to Rohit Sharma skipping the captains' interaction event in Karachi. Similarly, England and Australia, who have tight schedules and late arrivals in Pakistan, have opted to skip their warm-up matches to manage player workloads, further limiting their participation in pre-tournament activities.

As a result of these challenges, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has canceled traditional pre-tournament events like the press conference and official photo shoot involving all eight captains. The opening ceremony has also been scrapped due to the unavailability of key teams and workload management concerns. While New Zealand and South Africa will already be in Pakistan for a tri-nation series, the absence of some captains has forced the PCB to focus on alternative celebrations, such as a special event before Pakistan's match against New Zealand in Karachi.
 
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Rana said:
Who actually cares about an opening ceremony?
Click to expand...
Broadcasters and every stakeholder. Basically the opening ceremony is suppose to set the tone. You have the song being released and are suppose to carry forward that environment through out the tournament. Its how festivals work
 
Mohsin Naqvi, while addressing the media at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore:

"On February 7th, InshaAllah, we will inaugurate the Lahore stadium, with the Prime Minister present. On the 11th, the President of Pakistan will inaugurate the Karachi stadium, and on the 16th, we will have the inauguration ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore. After that, our Tri-Series will start on the 8th, followed by the Champions Trophy starting from the 19th."
 
Major said:
Broadcasters and every stakeholder. Basically the opening ceremony is suppose to set the tone. You have the song being released and are suppose to carry forward that environment through out the tournament. Its how festivals work
Click to expand...
Broadcasters( start sports ) will not show 16 Feb opening ceremony because it was not a ICC ceremony but PCB .

Time has changed now ,last year if I'm not wrong than there was no captain PC and photoshoot as well prior to The World T20 .

Last offically ICC opening ceremony was held in 2011 world Cup at the Dhanka. After that no ICC opening ceremony by happened in the any ICC events

:kp
 
YousafTheBeast said:
A headache created by BCCI. Simply back out of the tournament if you don’t want to travel to Pakistan, let ICC deal with whatever happens after.

“In November 2021 the ICC board allocated hosting rights for various global events in the 2024-31 rights cycle to several boards. The PCB, which had bid for two events, was allocated the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ICC board approved the hosts based on recommendations drawn up by a smaller working group that included Sourav Ganguly, then the BCCI president, and Ehsan Mani, the former PCB chair and ICC head. That ICC board was headed by Greg Barclay. Ganguly, one would assume, had the backing of the Indian board, whose secretary was Jay Shah (who takes charge as ICC chairman from December 1).”

This was the stance of BCCI back in 2021.
Click to expand...

This was the stance of ICC. Not BCCI.

BCCI informed ICC that they won't travel to Pakistan as government has refused security clearance. Rest all decisions were taken by the ICC board.

ICC board was free to go ahead with the CT without India.
 
cricketjoshila said:
This was the stance of ICC. Not BCCI.

BCCI informed ICC that they won't travel to Pakistan as government has refused security clearance. Rest all decisions were taken by the ICC board.

ICC board was free to go ahead with the CT without India.
Click to expand...

Was Ganguly the president of ICC or BCCI?

Was the president of BCCI in favour of Pakistan hosting the event, the answer is Yes.

I get you’re an Indian and you have to defend BCCI at all costs, as if your life depends on it, but this problem was created by one board. The country is safe for all the other boards to travel but not for India.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
Was Ganguly the president of ICC or BCCI?

Was the president of BCCI in favour of Pakistan hosting the event, the answer is Yes.

I get you’re an Indian and you have to defend BCCI at all costs, as if your life depends on it, but this problem was created by one board. The country is safe for all the other boards to travel but not for India.
Click to expand...

The hosting of event decision was taken by the ICC board not Ganguly.

ICC board is free to award hosting rights to any country by majority decision.

BCCI will not travel to any country if government of India denies permission.

ICC can then take any decision it wants.
 
Devadwal said:
Broadcasters( start sports ) will not show 16 Feb opening ceremony because it was not a ICC ceremony but PCB .

Time has changed now ,last year if I'm not wrong than there was no captain PC and photoshoot as well prior to The World T20 .

Last offically ICC opening ceremony was held in 2011 world Cup at the Dhanka. After that no ICC opening ceremony by happened in the any ICC events

:kp
Click to expand...

You Indians are tough to keep up with, your stance changes every minute. So, which one is it?

  1. No official ICC opening ceremony since 2011?
  2. BCCI flexing its muscles, and because Rohit didn’t go to Pakistan, the ICC ceremony got canceled?
  3. Players from other teams having security concerns, so ICC had to cancel the ceremony?

why did India go out of its way to hold an opening ceremony on the day of the India vs. Pakistan match in the 2023 World Cup, which was the 12th match of the tournament?
 
cricketjoshila said:
The hosting of event decision was taken by the ICC board not Ganguly.

ICC board is free to award hosting rights to any country by majority decision.

BCCI will not travel to any country if government of India denies permission.

ICC can then take any decision it wants.
Click to expand...

You’re missing the point…

You said, “BCCI's stand hasn't changed in last 15 years”.

Now, why would the president of BCCI at the time, be in favour of Pakistan getting the rights to host an ICC event if they weren’t willing to travel to Pakistan.

If you’re going to respond with “icc makes the decision” then it’s better not to respond because not only are you wasting my time, but you’re wasting your own time.
 
It is very strange that no formal events will be happening this time as Pakistan is hosting the event... As the Teams are arriving late at the last minute.

Typical tournament opening ceremony should have happened with the captains there with a trophy etc but anyways... Let's just host the event peacefully, that's all
 
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