New Delhi, JAN 22: Indian players’ jerseys will feature the ICC’s official logo, including Pakistan’s imprint to highlight the host nation, during the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Wednesday.
Newly-appointed BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, in an exclusive interview with an Indian cricket news website, confirmed that the Indian team’s jersey will feature the tournament’s official logo, comprising host nation Pakistan’s name.
He added that the BCCI will follow the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) guidelines regarding the men’s Champions Trophy, specifically regarding sporting the official logo.
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“We will follow whatever the ICC guidelines are,” said Saikia.
“We will follow the ICC directive,” he added.
Earlier this week, Indian media reported that the BCCI reportedly refused to wear jerseys featuring the host nation’s name, Pakistan, on the Indian team’s jersey for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
The media reports drew stern response from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who alleged BCCI for mixing politics into sports. The cricket board also expressed its hope that the apex cricketing body will support the host nation.
“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, and 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 will support Pakistan,” he added.
Later, sources within the ICC clarified that it is a mandatory requirement for all participating teams to display the tournament’s official logo on their kits, which includes the name of the host nation.
“It is the responsibility of every team to add the tournament logo to their jerseys. All teams are obligated to comply with this rule,” an ICC source stated.
It is pertinent to mention that the eight-team tournament, comprising 15 matches, will run from February 19 to March 9, across three venues – Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi – in Pakistan and Dubai.
Hosts Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the curtain-raiser on February 19 in Karachi, while the blockbuster clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.
For the unversed, Pakistan remain the only team out of the eight participating nations yet to officially announce its squad for the upcoming tournament.
