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Indian referee Javagal Srinath and umpire Nitin Menon will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy due to ‘personal reasons’.
Javagal Srinath (L) and Nitin Menon. (PC: X)
Indian referee Javagal Srinath and umpire Nitin Menon would reportedly not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, citing the need for a ‘leave’ and ‘personal reasons’ respectively.
The tournament will begin on February 19 with a match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Lahore. India’s matches will be held in the UAE but ICC rules prevent officials from standing in matches for their country.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had pulled out the team from traveling to Pakistan due to security concerns, which prompted the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to settle on the hybrid model. India’s first match will be against Bangladesh on February 20.
“Menon has refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing ‘personal reasons’. Obviously, he can’t be officiating in India’s matches in Dubai, as the tournament rules stipulate neutral umpires. Hence, he is missing from the Champions Trophy,” The Times Of India cited a source as saying.
Meanwhile, Srinath, who is currently officiating the India-England white-ball series, told the newspaper from Nagpur, the venue of the first ODI, that he had decided to take a ‘leave’.
“Yes I had asked for leave as I had quite a few days away from home in the month of November, December and January,” he said.
Srinath and Menon are the only Indians in the ICC Elite Panel of Referees and the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, respectively. Their names were absent from the list of referees and umpires chosen for the Champions Trophy, announced on Wednesday.
List of Champions Trophy Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson
List of Champions Trophy Match Referees: David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft
Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees, said: “We are pleased to announce our panel of match officials for the upcoming Men’s Champions Trophy. This is a credentialled officiating team whose expertise will be valuable in this high-profile tournament.”
“We always try to name the most suitable and deserving officials for any event, and we are confident this group will do a fine job across the matches in Pakistan and the UAE. I wish them all the best and hope they have a memorable tournament.”
