The countdown is nearly over! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 kicks off with a thrilling Group A clash as Pakistan faces New Zealand at 2:30 PM today at Karachi’s National Stadium. The Champions Trophy, last held in 2017, returns with Pakistan co-hosting alongside the UAE—marking its first major ICC tournament since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka and India. This prestigious event brings a high-profile cricket tournament back to Pakistan after nearly three decades.
Eight of the top ODI teams will compete, divided into two groups:
- Group A: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand
- Group B: Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa
India: The runner-up of the last CT has selected a solid squad. Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the team includes experienced players like Virat Kohli, Shami, and Jadeja with fresh talents like Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar. All eyes will be on Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant as they take the field in the tournament. Selecting 5 spinners was a big call, but it also deepened the Indian batting because 3 of them are all-rounders. Absence of Bumrah will definitely hurt the team. The omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Siraj was a bold decision, but it’s worth noting that it’s a 15-member squad, and tough choices had to be made.
Pakistan: Defending champions Pakistan, which is also a co-host of the event, has a good amount of mixed talent. In leadership of Md. Rizwan The Pakistan cricket team will rely on star batters Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman. Both Fakhar and Babar have ample amounts of experience, as they both played in the last CT back in 2017. Their pace attack also looks confident, where Shaheen, Rauf, and Naseem lead the way. One thing they are lacking in this tournament is having an experienced all-rounder by their side. Like other teams, the exclusion of Saim Ayyub due to injury has been a major concern for them.
New Zealand: A team that is known for surprising in ICC events is currently under the transition phase due to the retirement of seasoned bowlers like Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Though they have experienced Matt Henry in the team, who leads the way with Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke, who bring fresh energy and pace to the attack. In the spin department, they have skipper Mitchell Santner, complemented by part-timers Michael Bracewell and Glen Phillips. Glen Philips is one of the very few players who bring a 3D impact on the field. Their batting lineup includes former captain Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, and the versatile Daryl Mitchell. The mindset of the Blackcaps and the leadership dynamics under Mitchell Santner will be fascinating to observe in the upcoming tournament.
Bangladesh: After a long time, Bangladesh is going to play an ICC tournament without Shakib Al Hasan, veteran all-rounder who got banned after a suspicious bowling action. Najmul Hossain Shanto will be leading the team; batters like Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah provide stability, while Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, and Tawhid Hridoy add depth. Allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz offers versatility with his off-spin and batting capabilities. Bowlers like Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman will be adding pace to the team. Wicketkeeper batsman Liton Das has been replaced by young WK batsman Parvej Hossai Eman. Bangladesh’s attitude on the field will be interesting to watch.
England: Led by WK batsman Jos Buttler, the England cricket team faces a mix of challenges and opportunities. The return of Joe Root along with Brook and Livingston will add extra to the batting. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will lead the pace attack, backed by the talents of Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, who will provide valuable support. Absence of an allrounder like Ben Stokes will be a negative for them but Jos Buttler and company will try to outperform in this tournament.
Australia: Steve Smith will be leading Australia in this tournament, which includes star batters like Travis Head, Labuschagne, WKs Jos English and Alex Carey. Adam Zampa and Maxwell will be crucial for them, but what is going to hurt them most is the absence of the legendary trio Hazelwood, Cummins, and Starc. Allrounder Mitchell Marsh is not included, while Marcus Stoinis announced his retirement. Balancing the team with new composition will be challenging for skipper Smith.
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi will be skipper of Afghanistan in CT 2025. A team with a mixture of experience and youngsters. In batting, they have players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zardan, who proved themselves on big stages. Their bowling is always dominated by top-class spin, where Rashid Khan with spinners like Noor Ahmad and pacers like Fazalhaq Faruqi and Fareed Ahmad will lead the way. They have talented allrounders like Md Nabi, Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin Naib. Afghanistan’s impressive record in limited-overs cricket has created lofty expectations for their performance in the Champions Trophy 2025.
South Africa: South Africa, under Temba Bavuma’s leadership, keeps the main team that took South Africa to the 2023 Cricket World Cup semi-finals. South Africa’s batting lineup combines skill and creativity. Veterans such as David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen bring stability, whereas Heinrich Klaasen and Aiden Markram contribute versatility in the middle order. Kagiso Rabada will head the pace bowling unit alongside Ngidi and the newly added Bosch, who takes the place of the injured Nortje. All-rounder Marco Jansen adds depth with his left-arm seam. Spin duties will be on Keshav Maharaj and chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi. The overall composition of SA looks fine, but at the end, their attitude and Bzvuma’s leadership will be crucial.
