ICC Champions Trophy 2025: A Battle of The Best

by YOUxTalks | Feb 9, 2025 | Sports

The ICC Champions Trophy is a premier One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament, featuring the world’s top eight teams. Established in 1998 as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, it was rebranded in 2002. The tournament has been held intermittently, with the upcoming 2025 edition marking its ninth occurrence.

Past Winners:

1998: South Africa

2000: New Zealand

2002: India and Sri Lanka (co-champions)

2004: West Indies

2006: Australia

2009: Australia

2013: India

2017: Pakistan

The 2025 edition is scheduled from February 19 to March 9, 2025, hosted jointly by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Due to political tensions, India’s matches will be held in Dubai.

The tournament features eight teams divided into two groups:

Group A

India

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.

Bangladesh

Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.

New Zealand

Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Group B

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran.

England

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

Australia

Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

South Africa

Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.

With powerhouse teams like India, Pakistan, Australia, and England, the 2025 Champions Trophy promises intense matchups and high-stakes clashes. India’s matches will be played in Dubai due to political tensions with Pakistan. Defending champions Pakistan will look to retain their title, while India, Australia, and England aim to reclaim the trophy.

This edition is set to be a thrilling contest, blending experienced superstars and emerging talent in a battle for ODI supremacy.