No victory parade for India after ICC Champions Trophy triumph

The victory in Dubai on Sunday ended a 12-year-long wait for India. The Men in Blue beat New Zealand by four wickets to claim the ICC Champions Trophy. The victory also marked their second consecutive ICC title win within a year after the 2024 T20 World Cup win in June last year. The T20 World Cup win ended an over-a-decade-long wait for an ICC trophy for India. Expectedly, the team that won the championship in Barbados landed to massive fanfare in India. The historic win was followed by an open-bus parade in Mumbai, which concluded at the Wankhede Stadium. However, the Champions Trophy victory is reportedly set to be devoid of such a parade.

India squad won't feature in a victory parade following the ICC Champions Trophy win

While Indian fans remain as jubilant about the Champions Trophy win as they were for the T20 World Cup triumph, the celebrations won't match the fanfare this time around. Fresh reports after India's title win over New Zealand in Dubai suggest that the Indian players will land separately in India. The report explains that the respective Indian players of the Champions Trophy squad will arrive in their respective home cities upon returning from Dubai. Moreover, this setup means the team won't come together for a parade like the open-bus one in Mumbai last year when India picked up the T20 World Cup in 2024.

The decision comes in light of the upcoming IPL 2025. The 18th edition of the T20 league is set to kick off from March 22, not too far ahead of the Champions Trophy victory. Meanwhile, the players will be given a chance to rest before they start preparing for the next IPL season. The ten IPL teams have already started their respective practice sessions for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, players of the India squad for the ICC Champions Trophy are expected to join their respective IPL squads soon upon their return.

With the span between the Champions Trophy's conclusion and the onset of IPL 2025 being less than two weeks, the board isn't keen on squeezing in an elaborate celebratory event. The likes of Mumbai Indians, home to Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already kicked off their training for IPL 2025. Moreover, the report suggested that Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir is scheduled to land in Delhi on Monday evening, a day after India's historic win in Dubai.