Amid rising concerns over the readiness of Champions Trophy venues in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore would be handed over to the ICC on February 11.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had originally planned for an opening ceremony to take place two to three days before the opening match of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, only for it to reportedly be called off along with the official captains’ photo shoot.

In what could be labelled as a major setback for Pakistan, reports suggest that there will be no Opening Ceremony or Captain's Photoshoot ahead of CT 2025.

There is no need for India skipper Rohit Sharma to travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy as ICC and PCB have cancelled the opening ceremony or captains photoshoot.

The uncertainty regarding Rohit Sharma's trip to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy has been resolved. The India captain will not be required to travel to Pakistan, as the ICC and PCB have opted to cancel the opening ceremony and captains' photoshoot for the tournament.

There will be no captains' photoshoot or conference in Pakistan before the ICC Champions Trophy, a source in the host cricket board told PTI on Thursday, ending the possibility of India skipper travelling to the country for any pre-tournament engagements.