‘Pakistan’ on India jersey? BCCI to follow every uniform-related ICC rule in Champions Trophy, says secretary Devajit Saikia

Newly appointed BCCI secretary on Wednesday said that the board to follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions trophy, which implies that the team's jersey will feature "Pakistan" on it.

As per ICC regulations, all participating teams are required to wear jerseys featuring the name of the host nation, regardless of where the tournament is played. For instance, during the 2021 T20 World Cup held in the UAE, Pakistan's jerseys featured India's name as the host nation. Similarly, Pakistan's players wore jerseys with India's name during the 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup, both held in India.

Saikia's statement comes after earlier news reports suggested that India would sport a jersey without the host nation's name "Pakistan", creating a controversy.



The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the BCCI's latest stance, calling it a politicization of cricket.

"The 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 jerseys. We believe that the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and support Pakistan," a PCB official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, will be hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, with India playing its matches in the UAE under a hybrid model.


The eight-team tournament will feature 15 50-over matches and will be played across Pakistan and in Dubai. As the defending champions, Pakistan will have a significant advantage playing on home soil, but they'll face stiff competition from neighbours India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The biggest match of the tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23 in Dubai. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India's last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2.