No parade, no ceremony for India’s Champions Trophy winners

Despite India’s triumphant ICC Champions Trophy 2025 victory, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided not to organize a victory parade or celebratory event for the team, marking a stark contrast to their previous grand celebrations.

After India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory in the West Indies and USA, the Rohit Sharma-led squad was welcomed home with a massive bus parade, attended by thousands of fans, and a star-studded ceremony at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, for the Champions Trophy win, no such festivities have been planned.

The Indian squad members have begun returning to their respective cities separately, rather than as a united team. Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya received a warm welcome upon landing at Mumbai airport, while head coach Gautam Gambhir and pacer Harshit Rana arrived in New Delhi. Star batter Virat Kohli is also expected to return soon.

A BCCI official confirmed that all players, along with their families, departed from Dubai on Monday, though some opted to stay back for a few days. Indian media reports suggest that separate arrivals were due to players' commitments to their IPL franchises, with the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to begin on March 22.

Interestingly, this is not the first time BCCI has skipped a victory parade for a Champions Trophy win. In 2013, when India last won the tournament, no formal celebrations were held. Reports suggest that BCCI reserves grand parades only for World Cup triumphs on foreign soil, explaining the absence of festivities this time.