Pakistan likes to blame India for many of its failures and shortcomings, most of which are frivolous and laughable. But if Pakistan were to blame India for its exit from the Champions Trophy 2025, then undoubtedly there would be an element of truth in it. By not permitting Pakistani players to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) very effectively denied them the benefit of the experience they would have otherwise gained. As a result, another world cricket tournament and another first-round exit for the team. Pakistan’s exit from the Champions Trophy seemed to very much follow the script of the 2024 T20 World Cup. BCCI has successfully leveraged the IPL as an exclusionary tool by not permitting Pakistani players to play in one of the prestigious cricketing leagues of the world. Since the beginning of the competition, Pakistani players have only featured once in the IPL — the inaugural session in 2008. After that, Pakistani players were banned from the IPL because of Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism.

By not permitting Pakistani players to play in the IPL, BCCI had deprived Pakistani players of a significant opportunity to play in a competitive environment, learn........

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