England and Wales Cricket Board's senior leaders said that to "protect broadcast rights," the team line-up will remain the same for next year's Champions Trophy, even if India doesn't travel to Pakistan. The event will be played in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi but India hasn't played an international match in Pakistan since 2008. ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould and Chair Richard Thompson said on Wednesday that there are "various alternatives and contingencies" if India does not travel, implying that a hybrid model might be used. However, they quickly clarified that the tournament will not take place without the Indian team. The BCCI had already decided not to send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year, but after that conflict between the two countries resulted in a hybrid model where all India's games were taken to Sri Lanka. Pakistan, however, played fully in the 2023 World Cup in India and went right up to the final stages, missing the semi-finals. Pakistan has hosted no major ICC event since co-hosting the 1996 men's World Cup. The PCB said it was "committed" to hosting a "top-level" event for the Champions Trophy. The decision of the government of India will decide whether India will travel to Pakistan. Thompson said: "It would not be in cricket's interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy. It's interesting, with Jay Shah - the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC - [who] is going to have a big role to play in that. There's geopolitics, and then there's cricketing geopolitics. I think they'll find a way. They have to find a way. "There are always security concerns in this part of the world when those two countries play each other. That will probably drive the key decisions. But I know relationships between the two countries are as amicable as they can be at the moment: we saw it play out at the [men's T20] World Cup in New York." Gould and Thompson, who are in Pakistan to attend the forthcoming meetings of the ICC, met up with the PCB officials when the second test of England was underway in Multan. Gould said that India and Pakistan will not be leaving the tournament because the broadcast rights, which are an essential source of revenue for cricket, ensure their presence. It is also possible that the final call on India's participation is taken at the eleventh hour. Also Read | De Villiers, Cook, And Neetu David Inducted Into ICC Hall of Fame He said: "If you play the Champions Trophy without India, or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren't there, and we need to protect them." "They [Pakistan] are the host nation. We've seen the developments going on, and we're all waiting to understand whether India are going to travel. That's the key. We think there are some discussions and relationships where they need to be. I know Pakistan are expecting India to travel. There are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available if that doesn't happen." ECB Chair, Richard Thompson said: "It would not be in cricket's interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy. It's interesting, with Jay Shah - the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC - [who] is going to have a big role to play in that. There's geopolitics, and then there's cricketing geopolitics. "There are a variety of different options available if those circumstances come along. But also, when was the last time Pakistan hosted any kind of ICC trophy? This is a big moment for the country, and hopefully we can have the fullest possible competition in Pakistan. If that's not possible, we know there are options available." Thompson added: "That's between India and Pakistan, and I think they will find a way where India will participate in the Champions Trophy… These things tend to go to the wire, as history has shown us, so I think that in those [last] six months, they'll find a way." The PCB has stuck to their guns, insisting they want the entire tournament played in Pakistan. A draft schedule submitted to the ICC will propose the Champions Trophy from 19 February to 9 March, with India's games played in Lahore. There will be eight participating teams in the Champions Trophy, namely: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa. It consists of two groups of four teams, leading to semi-finals and then the final.