The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 promises to be a riveting cricket event, with the greatest of eight ODI teams competing from February 19 to March 9 to achieve the championship title. The high-competitive nature of the tournament guarantees to deliver an action-packed thriller in the 50-over format.
Pakistan as the defending champions aims to replicate their success from the 2017 edition by taking advantage of home pitch conditions. But, the Men-in-Green’s mission to defend their title wouldn’t be that easy. It is because the top contenders such as India, Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa make the competition much more robust.
At the same time, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have proven their mettle against the competitive teams in recent times.
The competition becomes much more intriguing as all the teams cannot even afford to lose a single game in the group stages, which might restrict their knockout qualification chances.
Let’s take a closer look at the favorites to win the Champions Trophy 2025 and the top four teams you need to watch out for sure that boast the greatest possibilities to reach the semi-finals.
1. INDIA:
Rohit Sharma’s led Indian cricket team will play all their matches in the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. So, it is understood that the players will be less fatigued as they won’t be required to travel to different locations. Moreover, it helps the men-in-blue get familiarized with the pitch conditions.
Having a blend of young and experienced players in the squad, Team India aims to clinch another ICC trophy under Rohit’s captaincy.
The Indians played their last ICC 50-over event in the 2023 World Cup, winning all the league matches and the semi-final in the tournament. However, the hosts were defeated by the Aussies in the finals, which ended their longest streak of winning 10 matches in a single edition of a World Cup.
This time, the subcontinent conditions and the verified combination of players having represented the previous edition World Cup, provide India a strong chance to win the title compared to other teams.
2. PAKISTAN:
It is a golden opportunity for Pakistan to defend their title on home turf. Having one of the world’s top batters like Babar Azam bolsters the strength of the entire batting line-up. In addition, the pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi adds fuel to the bowling attack.
Added to the home pitch advantages, Pakistan under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy emerged as one of the toughest contenders to claim the title for the second consecutive time.
3. SOUTH AFRICA:
Having a crucial mission to shed the chokers tag, South Africa aims to recover from their previous disastrous record of losing games in the knockouts of ICC tournaments. The squad boasts numerous talents such as:
- Aiden Markram
- Quinton de Kock
- Marco Jansen
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Kagiso Rabada
- And several others who can challenge the top competitors to win the title.
The inaugural season winners of the Champions Trophy in 1998 will be determined to end the ICC-drought period that has troubled them for many years.
4. AUSTRALIA:
Despite Australia being the toughest contender in ICC tournaments, they face a huge blow as the two core pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025 due to injury. In addition, Mitchell Marsh’s back injury and Marcus Stoinis’s retirement from ODIs leave a huge void in the squad.
Before February 12, Australia needs to finalize the four replacements to their earlier version of the 15-member squad.
The team balanced with core match-winners like Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and numerous others enhances their chances of qualifying for the knockouts. But, the competitive nature of the Aussie cricketers might be subdued without Cummins’s captaincy.
The 2023 World Cup-winning captain’s absence doubles the pressure on Australia to win all three matches in group stages, particularly against fierce competitors like England, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the Australian head coach Andrew McDonald revealed that either Smith or Head will lead Australia in the tournament’s ninth season.
With multiple setbacks, the difficulties worsen for the two-time champions to lift the trophy for the third time.
What About the Other Four Teams? New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, and, Bangladesh
Teams such as New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh hold very slim chances of entering the Champions Trophy knockouts:
1. NEW ZEALAND:
Even after being the competitive team in core events, the below-par consistency level of the New Zealand men’s cricket team in recent ICC tournaments raises questions about their qualification chances into the Champions Trophy knockouts.
With veteran players like Kane Williamson and Devon Conway in the squad, Mitchell Santner’s selection as the team’s skipper shocked the cricket fanatics.
Despite the players being confident in handling the subcontinent challenges, the Kiwis with a set of huge challenges and limited opportunities are shrunk with minimal chances to replicate their success from the 2000 edition.
2. ENGLAND:
England is one such team that has frequently faced failures despite having dynamic players like:
- Jonny Bairstow
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- And several others.
Their main strength is purely dependent on batting depth and their ability to chase huge targets. However, the team’s recent 4-wicket defeat to India in the first ODI of the 3-match series caused them to record seven out of eight losses ODIs batting first since the World Cup 2023.
The 2019 World Cup winners are yet to claim their maiden Champions Trophy title. Most importantly, they need to refine their approach in the 50-over format ahead of the forthcoming high-profile tournament.
3. AFGHANISTAN:
Having qualified for their first-ever ICC knockouts in the T20 World Cup 2024, Afghanistan under Hashmatullah Shahidi faces a tough challenge in group stages against Australia, England, and South Africa. As a result, the Afghans would need to come out of their routine strategies to triumph over these teams and qualify for the knockouts to keep their hopes alive of winning the Champions Trophy in their first attempt.
4. BANGLADESH:
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s led Bangladesh cricket team faces stringent challenges in group stages against the most powerful contenders like India, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The team’s inconsistency and lack of experience in big tournaments could be a huge setback for them once again.
