Last Updated:February 08, 2025, 16:01 IST

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has stressed that Pakistan needs to defeat India in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the real task for his nation’s team in the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy is not just winning the title but also beating neighbors India.

The Indo-Pak rivalry will continue in Dubai on February 23, where the two teams will come across each other for the first time since the Men in Green won in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy at the Oval in London.

“We have a very good side and they have done well in recent times but the real task now is to not only win the Champions Trophy but also defeat our arch-rival, India in the upcoming match in Dubai. The entire nation stands behind them,” Sharif said while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the renovated Gaddafi stadium in Lahore.

This is the first time Pakistan is hosting a Champions Trophy — the first ICC event to be played here since 1996. However, the Board of Control for India (BCCI) refused its team to travel West citing security reasons.

After weeks of deliberation involving the International Cricket Council, the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided on a hybrid model where India’s matches will be played in the UAE.

“It is a big occasion for Pakistan that we are hosting a big ICC event after nearly 29 years,” Sharif added. “I have full confidence that our team will continue to make the nation proud in the upcoming Champions Trophy.”

The stadium’s inauguration ceremony was attended by several prominent figures, including politicians, government officials, PCB representatives, the entire Champions Trophy squad of the national men’s team, Pakistan Super League franchise owners, and former PCB chairmen Zaka Ashraf and Najam Sethi.

The ceremony celebrated the completion of the renovation in just 117 days and the PCB launched the team’s jersey for the tournament. Pakistan will start their campaign here against New Zealand on February 19.

India and Pakistan have faced each other in 135 ODIs. Out of these, India have won 57 while Pakistan have come out victorious on 73 occasions.

As for the Champions Trophy, the rivals have met five times, with Pakistan winning three matches and India two.