Tickets for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai were sold out within minutes of going on sale on Monday, news agency IANS reported.
The demand was so high that over 1,50,000 fans queued online, leading to wait times of over an hour, the report said.
The highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash is set for 23 February at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in a match that could be pivotal to both teams' chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament.
The group-stage match is part of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which will follow a hybrid model across Pakistan and the UAE.
Downplaying the clash between India and Pakistan, India team's head coach Gautam Gambhir said he believes that the clash in Dubai is just one step in India's journey toward winning a third Champions Trophy title, following their triumphs in 2002 and 2013.
"Look, we do not go to the Champions Trophy thinking that the 23rd is the most important game for us. I think five games, all the games are important," Gambhir told Star Sports at the annual Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awards night in Mumbai on Saturday as quoted by ICC.
"The mission to go to Dubai is to win the Champions Trophy, not only win one particular game. But yes, if that is one game in the middle of winning the Champions Trophy, we are going to try and take it as seriously as possible."
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
