The Worldwide Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy returns after an eight-year hiatus, with Pakistan internet hosting the match from February 19 to March 9.
The match would be the ICC’s solely males’s limited-overs competitors in 2025, with eight groups vying to elevate the trophy and adorn the winners’ white blazers.
Right here’s Al Jazeera’s final information to the match:
What’s the Champions Trophy and why is it so vital for Pakistan?
The championship, initially named the ICC Knockout, was conceived as an elite match amongst cricket’s Check-playing nations and devised to fill the four-year hole between the ICC’s 50-over World Cup and assist broaden the sport globally.
The inaugural edition was held in Bangladesh in 1998 and received by South Africa.
With the introduction of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ICC World Check Championship in 2019, the Champions Trophy was discontinued after the 2017 version, which was hosted by England and received by Pakistan.
Because the match makes its comeback for the ninth version, the holders are internet hosting Pakistan’s largest worldwide sport occasion in 29 years.
The South Asian nation final hosted an ICC occasion in 1996, and the March 2009 gun assault on the Sri Lankan cricket workforce’s bus in Lahore brought on the cancelation or disruption {of professional} cricket excursions in Pakistan for years to come back.
For Pakistan, internet hosting a profitable worldwide match may help change the nation’s perceptions, cricket experts informed Al Jazeera.
Which groups are taking part within the Champions Trophy 2025 and what’s the format?
Hosts Pakistan and the highest seven ODI groups from the 2023 Cricket World Cup group certified for the Champions Trophy. The match has been divided right into a easy group-stage and knockout-stage format.
The 2025 version sees high-flying limited-overs facet Afghanistan make their match debut.
Following their round-robin fixtures, the highest two groups from every group will qualify for the semifinals.
Group A: Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand
Group B: Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, England
Afghanistan are gearing up for his or her maiden #ChampionsTrophy outing 🏏 pic.twitter.com/LSYyv71XuM
— ICC (@ICC) February 13, 2025
When is the opening match and when is the Champions Trophy ultimate?
Pakistan will host New Zealand within the match opener at Karachi’s Nationwide Stadium on Thursday, February 19.
The ultimate is scheduled for March 9, with the venue topic to India’s qualification for the match.
Group stage matches shall be held from February 19 to March 2 and the semifinals shall be performed on March 4 and 5.
The match’s full match schedule is out there here.
Why aren’t India taking part in their matches in Pakistan?
Up till just a few weeks earlier than the opening fixture, the match’s schedule hinged on India’s refusal – ostensibly primarily based on their authorities’s instructions – to journey to Pakistan and the host nation’s reluctance to maneuver their neighbour’s matches to a impartial venue.
The months-long standoff was resolved when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) begrudgingly accepted a tit-for-tat hybrid mannequin for the match, whereby India would play its Champions Trophy matches at a impartial venue and Pakistan would do the identical for any upcoming ICC occasions hosted by India.
The ICC and the PCB then agreed to maneuver India’s three group matches and one semifinal to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ultimate is ready to be hosted at Pakistan’s cricket headquarters in Lahore however might transfer to Dubai ought to India qualify for it.
The place will the Champions Trophy matches be performed?
Pakistan chosen Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi as its three host cities for the match. Dubai was added to the listing as a impartial venue in December 2024.
- Nationwide Stadium, Karachi: One of many oldest and most well-known cricket grounds in Pakistan, the Nationwide Stadium has hosted a whole lot of iconic Assessments and limited-overs matches since its opening in 1955. The 30,000-capacity venue in Pakistan’s largest and most populous metropolis has undergone main refurbishment for the Champions Trophy and can host the match’s opening match.
- Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: The headquarters of the PCB and Pakistan’s Nationwide Cricket Academy, Gaddafi Stadium is steeped in historical past and has hosted the ultimate of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996, when Sri Lanka lifted the trophy in entrance of a rapturous crowd. Situated within the metropolis often called the beating coronary heart of Pakistan, the 34,000-capacity venue will host three group matches, the second semifinal and the ultimate – topic to India’s qualification.
- Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium: Regardless of its comparatively smaller measurement and capability of 18,000, the Pindi Stadium is legendary for at all times being packed to the rafters for many worldwide fixtures – whether or not Check matches or limited-overs video games. The venue’s location within the Pakistani capital Islamabad’s twin metropolis makes it simply accessible for followers. It’ll host three group matches, together with Pakistan’s fixture towards Bangladesh on February 27.
- Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium, UAE: Within the 16 years since its inauguration, the venue has established itself as Pakistan and the ICC’s go-to “impartial” venue for worldwide tournaments. With its fashionable “ring of fireside” lighting and compact design, the venue is ready to turn into a cauldron when India play their three group video games, together with the all-important match towards Pakistan. Dubai can even host the primary semifinal on March 4 and the ultimate on March 9, ought to India qualify.
When and the place is the India vs Pakistan group match?
Whereas the marquee fixture was initially scheduled for Lahore on March 2, the match was moved to Sunday, February 23, in Dubai following an deadlock and eventual settlement between each nations.
Because of the suspension of bilateral excursions between the South Asian rivals, the groups play one another solely throughout the ICC tournaments, making this match the one India vs Pakistan males’s fixture in 2025.
Temperatures will run excessive on and off the sphere as followers from each nations and around the globe are anticipated to pack the venue, and gamers will look to grab the chance to achieve bragging rights in one of the eagerly-awaited sports activities fixtures of the yr.
The primary ball shall be bowled at 09:00 GMT, however Al Jazeera’s stay build-up to the match will start at 04:00 GMT.
Which groups are favourites to win the Champions Trophy?
Al Jazeera’s prime picks for the title are:
- Pakistan: The defending champions are favourites not solely as hosts but additionally primarily based on their latest run of excellent kind within the ODI format. Mohammad Rizwan’s facet would really like nothing lower than to win an ICC title at dwelling – a feat they haven’t achieved in two earlier makes an attempt.
- India: The ICC’s top-ranked ODI workforce enter the Champions Trophy on the again of a 3-0 drubbing of England and with the T20 world title within the bag. The match might nicely function the farewell to ODI cricket for a few of India’s largest icons, together with captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli.
- New Zealand: The unassuming Blackcaps have snuck their strategy to the highest quarter of ICC’s ODI rankings following a tri-nation sequence win in Pakistan and can look to win their second Champions Trophy title since 2000.
Who’re the highest gamers to observe?
The top five gamers picked by Al Jazeera are:
- Babar Azam (Pakistan)
- Shubman Gill (India)
- Jos Buttler (England)
- Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
Which prime gamers will miss the match?
Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins and India’s world-leading tempo bowler Jasprit Bumrah are the largest names lacking from their respective groups’ rosters.
Here’s Al Jazeera’s information to the complete squads.
What’s the prize cash for the Champions Trophy?
The ICC has dramatically elevated the overall prize for the match to $6.9m, a 53 % enhance from the final version.
Right here’s a breakdown of the overall:
- Champions: $2.24m
- Runners-up: $1.12m
- Dropping semifinalists: $560,000
- Fifth and sixth place: $350,000
- Seventh and eighth place: $140,000
Who’re the previous winners?
Amongst this version’s members, each Australia and India have received the match twice, whereas Bangladesh and England are but to win the title.
- 1998: South Africa
- 2000: New Zealand
- 2002: India and Sri Lanka (joint winners)
- 2004: West Indies
- 2006: Australia
- 2009: Australia
- 2013: India
- 2017: Pakistan
Are there any particular guidelines, taking part in situations or reserve days for the Champions Trophy?
The sport’s normal guidelines and rules for an ODI match apply to all fixtures.
Ought to a match finish in a tie, the winner shall be decided by way of an excellent over – a further over per facet that serves as an eliminator primarily based on the workforce profitable the one-over contest.
The factors system will see the profitable workforce bag two factors, whereas a no consequence will see either side stroll away with one level apiece.
The semifinal spots shall be allotted to the highest two groups from every group primarily based on their factors. Ought to there be a tie on factors, the workforce with probably the most wins will qualify and if that leads to a tie, the workforce with the upper web run price will make the lower.
Each the semifinals and the ultimate have been allotted reserve days.
How can followers purchase tickets for the Champions Trophy?
Tickets for the match have been launched on a phase-by-phase foundation by the ICC on its official on-line ticket platform and distributors throughout Pakistan.
Tickets for the ultimate shall be made accessible for buy after the conclusion of the primary semifinal in Dubai, because the venue shall be confirmed primarily based on India’s destiny within the match.
Find out how to observe and stream the Champions Trophy matches?
The match shall be streamed by various official TV, digital and radio broadcasters throughout numerous areas.
Al Jazeera Sport will present stay pre-match build-up, in addition to textual content and photograph commentary stream for the decide of the group-stage matches and all three knockout video games.
What’s cricket and the way is it performed?
It’s a easy recreation of bat and ball, involving 11 gamers in every workforce however the guidelines can get somewhat sophisticated. Al Jazeera breaks it down for you here.
