NEW DELHI: The 2025 Champions Trophy witnessed an embarrassing blunder on Saturday when the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played ahead of the England vs Australia match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The unexpected mix-up left Australian players and the packed crowd stunned before organisers realised the mistake and halted the anthem.
The gaffe quickly went viral on social media, with fans sharing clips of the moment. Memes and reactions flooded X. They have called out the event organisers for the embarrassing mistake at such a high-profile ICC event.
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The incident was particularly bizarre as India are not scheduled to play any of their Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. Due to political tensions, India refused to travel to Pakistan, leading to a hybrid model where all their games are being played in Dubai.
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This is not the first controversy surrounding the tournament’s organisation. Before the Champions Trophy even began, the absence of India’s flag at Karachi’s National Stadium raised questions, leading to criticism directed at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Meanwhile, another controversy emerged during India’s match against Bangladesh, where the tournament’s official broadcast branding excluded the word “Pakistan.” While all other games displayed Champions Trophy 2025 Pakistan, the India-Bangladesh match only featured Champions Trophy 2025.
The PCB lodged a formal complaint with the ICC, which attributed the issue to a technical glitch by UK-based production company Sunset & Vine. The ICC assured Pakistan that such errors would not happen again.
