IND vs PAK Champion’s Trophy not a ‘match to reckon’? Irrfan Pathan shares ‘electrifying’ post amid empty stadium claims

IND vs PAK Champion's Trophy 2025: The much anticipated IND vs Pakistan match of the ICC Champion's Trophy 2025 has already begun in Dubai. But the stadium is all empty.

‘Gone are the days’ when IND vs PAK was a ‘match to reckon’? That is what a Pakistani journalist Fereeha M Idrees claimed on social media.

“ Judging by the scarce crowd in the stadium, one can easily say gone are the days when #PAKvsIND was a “match to reckon”. People have lost interest. Thanks to the politicised shenanigans of #PCB. #INDvsPAK #ChampionsTrophy2025,” the journalist posted on X.

Irrfan Pathan's post, however, shows otherwise.

Irrfan Pathan's post

Although the Dubai International Stadium took some time to fill initially, an ‘electrifying’ atmosphere gripped the venue a little later. Former cricketer Irrfan Pathan also posted about the same.

What ICC had claimed

Ahead of the match, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had stated that tickets for the match had sold out within minutes.

With over 3.7 million Indians and nearly 1.7 million Pakistanis living in the UAE, a vibrant and well-represented crowd from both nations was almost certain, reported BBC.

However, several netizens posed questions and posted pictures of empty seats at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium during the beginning of the match.

Empty stadium in IND vs Bangladesh match

During the Champion's Trophy India vs Bangladesh match on Thursday, vacant seats at the Dubai International Stadium, which has a capacity of around 25,000, also drew attention.

Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi took to X to not only question the empty stands during the Champions Trophy but also the relevance of 50-over cricket. He wrote, “Watching the @ICC Champions Trophy match between #India and #Bangladesh. Stands are empty. That would not happen at an #IPL game. Is the one-day format becoming irrelevant to the fans? What’s your view? Should one-day cricket be scrapped and more Test cricket played?”