2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Format, Complete Schedule, and Odds

Tickets are now on sale for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament, which returns 

for its ninth edition on February 19, is being co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE. All the matches involving India would be played in the UAE.

This year’s cricket competition features thrilling two-week back-to-back matches between eight teams. The teams have been divided into two groups— Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, and Pakistan in Group A, while Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa are in Group B. Each team will play three matches in their group. The top two teams from both groups will qualify for the semi-finals.

2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Format

The first edition of the Champions Trophy was played in 1998 and was called the ICC KnockOut Trophy. The name was later changed to Champions Trophy.

It’s a 50-over format, also called the “Mini World Cup.” The top eight teams from the last ODI World Cup have qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka and West Indies, two of the previous winners of the tournament, have failed to qualify for this edition of the tournament.

While Pakistan is this year’s host, team India matches will be held in the UAE due to ongoing political tension between the two countries. Should India qualify for the semifinal and the finals, the match venue will be shifted to the UAE.

Notably, the tournament returns after a long hiatus. Till 2006, it was organized every two years but was later changed to once every four years, like the Cricket World Cup. The last tournament took place in 2017, after which it was canceled due to an overlapping format similar to the World Cup. The 2021 season was scrapped, but the trophy now returns for the 2025 season.

Where to Watch, Start and End Date

The 2025 Champions Trophy is scheduled to start on Wednesday, February 19. Pakistan will face New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at the National Stadium in Karachi. The final of the tournament will be played on Sunday, March 9. The venue for the final match will be decided based on India’s qualification.

Sky Sports Cricket will host the live telecast of 2025 Champions Trophy matches. The live streaming will be available on Sky Go.

List of Participating Teams

ICC Champions Trophy: Previous Winner

The last edition of the Champions Trophy was played in 2017 and was co-hosted by England and Wales. Pakistan and India made it to the final round, held at The Oval in London. India won the toss and elected to bowl.

Pakistan posted a total of 338 runs for the loss of four wickets in 50 overs. Fakhar Zaman was the highest scorer and made 114 runs off 106 deliveries. India was bundled out for 158 runs, and Pakistan won the match by 180 runs. Fakhar won the Player of the Match award for scoring a century. Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali took three wickets each for Pakistan. Hasan picked 13 wickets in five innings at an average of 14.69 and won the Player of the Tournament award.

Key Players to Watch

Travis Head (Australia)

Australia, the current ODI World Champions, defeated India in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023. Travis Head scored 137 runs off 120 deliveries in the final and helped Australia become the winner. Head is currently the highest-ranked Australian batter in the ICC Rankings and will be one of the key players to watch in this edition of the Champions Trophy.

Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)

Azmatullah Omarzai won the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024. Omarzai scored 455 runs in 15 ODI matches in 2023 and finished with 417 runs in 14 matches in 2024. With the ball, he picked 17 wickets in 2024 at an average of 20.47, an economy of 4.90, and a strike rate of 25.

Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh)

Shanto will lead Bangladesh in this edition of the Champions Trophy. Bangladesh was one of the four semi-finalists in the last edition of the tournament. Shanto has been one of the top performers for Bangladesh in ODIs in recent times. Since 2023, Shanto has made 1,278 runs in 32 ODI matches at an average of 45.64. No other Bangladeshi batter has scored more than 1,000 runs since 2023.

Adil Rashid (England)

Adil Rashid has been the highest wicket-taker for England in ODIs since 2023. He has taken 36 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 31.58, an economy of 5.51, and a strike rate of 34.3.

Virat Kohli (India)

Virat Kohli is ranked fourth in the Men’s ODI Batting Rankings currently. The former Indian captain scored 1377 runs in 27 ODI matches in 2023 at an average of 72.47 and a strike rate of 99.13. He scored six centuries and eight half-centuries in 2023. Kohli has not played an ODI game in the UAE so far and will be playing there for the first time. He won the Player of the Tournament award in the ODI World Cup 2023.

Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)

Daryl Mitchell has been one of the best performers for the Kiwis in ODIs in the last few months. Since 2023, Mitchell has made 1244 runs in 29 ODI matches at an average of 49.76 and a strike rate of 100. He has scored five centuries and three half-centuries since 2023.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Babar Azam is the number one batter in the ICC rankings. He has made 1,293 runs in 31 ODI matches since 2023 at an average of 47.88 and a strike rate of 83.09. He has made two centuries and 12 half-centuries in ODIs since 2023.

Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa)

Heinrich Klaasen has been one of the top performers for the Proteas in ODIs for a long time. Since 2023, Klaasen has made 1191 runs in 27 ODI matches at an average of 51.78 and a strike rate of 136.42.

2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Complete Schedule

Champions Trophy Odds on 7bet

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