Nitin Menon, who is India’s sole representative in the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, has opted out of officiating at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The International Cricket Council announced the match officials for the tournament on February 5, just two weeks before its commencement on February 19.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 to March 9. Two Indian officials, Nitin Menon (Elite Panel umpire) and Javagal Srinath (Elite Panel referee), were not included in the list of 15 match officials, including 12 umpires and 3 match referees, for the tournament.
Nitin Menon Refuses to Travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy Citing ‘Personal Reasons’
According to PTI, Nitin Menon has opted out of officiating in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan due to personal reasons. The ICC had initially planned to include him in the roster, but Menon decided not to travel to Pakistan. Menon cannot officiate in some matches that will be held in the UAE.
“The ICC wanted to put him (Menon) on the Champions Trophy roster. But he decided against travelling to Pakistan due to personal reasons,” a BCCI source told PTI.
“Menon has refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing ‘personal reasons’. Obviously, he can’t be officiating in India’s matches in Dubai, as the tournament rules stipulate neutral umpires. Hence, he is missing from the Champions Trophy,” The Times of India cited a source as saying (via News18).
I Had Quite a Few Days Away from Home – Javagal Srinath
A Times of India report stated that Javagal Srinath has taken leave from officiating matches for the Champions Trophy. Srinath revealed that he requested time off due to a demanding schedule, with several away games from November to January.
“Yes I had asked for leave as I had quite a few days away from home in the month of November, December and January,” Srinath said.
Javagal Srinath will officiate the first ODI between India and England in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. He was recently involved in a controversy surrounding the approval of Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube during the fourth T20I between India and England on January 31 in Pune.
A Team of 12 Umpires Will Officiate the Champions Trophy 2025
A team of 12 umpires will officiate the Champions Trophy across venues in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi) and Dubai, UAE. Richard Kettleborough, Chris Gaffaney, Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Illingworth, Paul Reiffel, and Rod Tucker, who were also part of the 2017 edition, are on the list.
Kettleborough and Illingworth were also present at the 2023 World Cup final. Other umpires include Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Ahsan Raza, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Alex Wharf, and Joel Wilson, all of whom officiated during the World Cup in India.
The three match referees for the tournament are David Boon, Ranjan Madugalle, and Andrew Pycroft.
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