The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to commence on February 19, 2025, marking the tournament’s return after an eight-year hiatus. Co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the event will feature the top eight One Day International (ODI) teams competing over 15 matches. The final is scheduled for March 9, 2025

Tournament Format and Groups

The participating teams are divided into two groups:

• Group A: Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh
• Group B: Australia, England, South Africa, Afghanistan

Each team will play the others in their group once, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.

Schedule and Venues

Matches will be held across four venues: National Stadium (Karachi), Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore), Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (Rawalpindi), and Dubai International Cricket Stadium (Dubai). Notably, due to political tensions, all of India’s matches will be played in Dubai.

Group Stage Matches:

February 19: Pakistan vs. New Zealand – Karachi

February 20: Bangladesh vs. India – Dubai

February 21: Afghanistan vs. South Africa – Karachi

February 22: Australia vs. England – Lahore

February 23: Pakistan vs. India – Dubai

February 24: Bangladesh vs. New Zealand – Rawalpindi

February 25: Australia vs. South Africa – Rawalpindi

February 26: Afghanistan vs. England – Lahore

February 27: Pakistan vs. Bangladesh – Rawalpindi

February 28: Afghanistan vs. Australia – Lahore

March 1: South Africa vs. England – Karachi

March 2: New Zealand vs. India – Dubai

Knockout Stage:

• March 4: Semi-final 1 – Dubai
• March 5: Semi-final 2 – Lahore
• March 9: Final – Lahore (or Dubai if India qualifies)

Live Streaming and Broadcast Details

Cricket enthusiasts worldwide can catch the live action through various broadcasters:

• India: Matches will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and streamed live on JioHotstar.
• Pakistan: Viewers can watch on PTV Sports and Ten Sports, with digital streaming available via the Myco and Tamasha apps.
• United Kingdom: Sky Sports Cricket will provide live coverage, with streaming on SkyGO and NOW.
• United States and Canada: Willow TV holds the broadcasting rights, with streaming on the Willow by Cricbuzz app.
• Australia: Matches will be available on Amazon Prime Video, including commentary options in English and Hindi.
• South Africa: SuperSport will broadcast the matches, with streaming on the SuperSport app.

For fans in other regions, ICC.tv will provide live streaming in over 80 territories, including Nepal, Japan, and Malaysia.

Team Squads

Each participating nation has announced a 15-member squad for the tournament. Here are the squads for a few notable teams:

• Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), 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.
• India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
• Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

For detailed information on all team squads, you can refer to the official ICC website.

icc-cricket.com

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 promises thrilling cricket action as top teams battle for supremacy. Fans are eagerly awaiting high-stakes matches, especially the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on February 23 in Dubai.

Note: Match dates and venues are subject to change. Please refer to official ICC communications for the latest updates.