Dubai, February 16, 2025: The Indian cricket team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, has arrived in Dubai ahead of the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is set to begin next week in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The ninth edition of the tournament kicks off on February 19, with defending champions Pakistan facing New Zealand in the opening match at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium. The eight-team event will feature 15 matches over 19 days, with games split between Pakistan and Dubai.
In Pakistan, the tournament will be hosted across Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, with each venue staging three group matches. Lahore will host the second semi-final and the final on March 9, unless India qualifies, in which case the final will be moved to Dubai. The first semi-final and all three of India’s group matches will take place in Dubai. Both semi-finals and the final have been allocated reserve days in case of weather disruptions.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on social media captioned “Touchdown Dubai”, showing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and other Indian players arriving at their hotel.
However, Team India has suffered a major setback ahead of the tournament, as star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out due to injury. Despite this blow, India remains a strong contender for the title.
India has been placed in Group A, alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh. Their campaign begins against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai, followed by the much-anticipated Pakistan vs. India clash on February 23.
India’s Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (c), 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.
