The World’s Top-Ranked Odi Team, The Holders and The 2000 Champions Firming As Favourites To Lift the Trophy Once Again.

Pride, Bragging Rights and A $ 2.24m Winner’s Cheque Will Be on The Line When the World’s Top Eight One-Day International Teams Meet in The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 In Pakistan, Beginning on Wednesday.

Pakistan Won The Last Edition In 2017, Defating India in the final at the oval in England. This Time Around, Pakistan Will Look to celebrate The return OF A MAJOR ICC EVENT TO THEI COUNTRY AFTER 29 YEARS BY WINNING THE CROWN IN FRONT OF AN ADORING HOME CROWD.

MEANWHILE, T20 World Champions India Will Have Their Eyes Set On Avenging That Devastating 180-Run Defat to Pakistan Eight Years ago and Are Eyeing A Second Successive ICC Title Title in Two Years.

SomeSuming New Zealand Will Count Themselves Amongst The Contenders After The Ir Impresive Win In The Tri-Nation Series Hosted in Pakistan, Which Also Incued South Africa.

Australia’s Loss of Their Talismanic Captain Pat cumminsas well as Mitchell Star, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh, you have senally slump into disarray and out of contention for the title.

Here’s a Look at The Three Favourites for Victory at The Icc Champions Trophy:

India

Best Result: Champions (2002, 2013)
ODI RANKING: 1
To Watch Players: Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya

The 50-Over World Cup in 2023 was to be India’s Crowning Glory on Home Soil, Until Australia Turned the Tables on The Undefeated Host Nation and Walked Away With The Title On November 19, 2023.

Rohit Sharma’s Men Brushed Asside That Crushing Final Loss, Regrouped, and Just Seven Months Later Were Crowned T20 World Champions.

In the past year, India Have Been in Scintillating Form in Limited Overs Cricket, Managing to Separate Their Dysmal Test Performances To Keep Domingating Opposing Teams In T20 and Odi Formats.

Their Recent 3-0 Drubbing of England in a Home Odi Series, As Well As The Prolific Run-Scoring Form of Top-Order Batter Shubman Gill, Make India The Leading Contenders for The Champions Trophy Title. KULDEEP YADAV’S WILY LEG-BREAK BOWLING AND HARDIK PANDYA’S EVER-RELIABLE ALL-ROUND FORM MAKE THE TWO-TIME CHAMPIONS THE SIDE TO Beat in The Star-Studded Eight-Team Tournament.

India's Captain Rohit Sharma (R) Speaks with His Teammate Hardik Pandya During the Second One-Day International (Odi) Crickt Match Between India and England At The Barabati Stadium in Cuttack On Februry 9, 2025. - Image Restricted to Editorial Use - Strictly No Commercial Use -
India’s Captain Rohit Sharma (Right) Will On Hardik Pandya’s All-Round Abilities During the Champions Trophy [Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP]

Pakistan

Best Result: Champions (2017)
ODI RANKING: 3
To Watch Players: Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman

Pakistan Cricket’s Never-Ending Rollercoaster Ride of Coach and Captain Sackings, Embrasing Losses and Inexplicable Wins Make Any Predictions On Their Performance Seem Foolish. However, The Men In Green Will Rev The Opportunity of Winning ESIR ICC TITLE AT HOME AND PROVIDES SUB RESPIT TO THEIR FAITHFUL FANS.

Pakistan Have Won Their Last Three Bilateral Odi Series Away From Home, Including A 2-1 Triumph Over World Champions Australia and 3-0 Trouncing of A Formidable South Africa Side.

Mohammad Rizwan’s Team Boast An Array of Match-Winning Players, Including Star Batter Babar Azam, Fast Bowler Shaheen Shah Aphridi and Hero of Their 2017 Title-Winning Run, Fakhar Zaman. Should All Three Players Find Their Best Form in Front of A Pasionate and Crick-Deprisoned Home Crowd, Pakistan Will Have More than A Puncher’s Chance of Retain The Title The Won Eight Years AUG.

Cricket - ICC T20 World Cup 2024 - Group A - India V Pakistan - Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, United States - June 9, 2024 Pakistan's Babar Azam celebrators /Andrew Kelly
Babar Azam (Left) and Shaheen Shah Afridi Will Play A Major Role in Pakistan’s Campaign During their Home icc Champions Trophy [File: Andrew Kelly/Reuters]

New Zealand

Best Result: Champions (2000)
ODI RANKING: 4
To Watch Players: Kane Williamson, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner

New Zealand Have Found Themselves in the Knockout Stages of All But One of the Last Five ICC Limited-Vers World Cups But Have Yet To Make The Most of Their.

The Blackcaps have not won an ICC tournament since the 2000 edition of the Champions Trophy, but under the shrewd leadership of all-rounder Mitchell Santner and the return to form of former captain Kane Williamson, New Zealand will be confident of turning the tide this time .

They enter the tournament on the back of a Comforable Tri-Nation Series Win In Pakistan. Their Top Batters Have Rediscovered Run-Scoring Form and Their Bowlers Have Managed to Sneak in Wickets at The Right Time.

New Zealand’s Fitness and Fielding Standards Will Be an Added Advantage When They Face-Off Against Top South Asian Sides At The Tournament.

New Zealand's Captain Mitchell Santner (R) Celebrates With Teammate Kane Williamson After Taking The Wickt of Pakistan's Khushdil Shah During the Tri-Nation Series Final One-Day International (Odi) Crick Between Pakistan and New Zealand At The National Stadium Ruary 14, 2025. (Photo by Asif Hassan / AFP)
New Zealand’s Captain Mitchell Santner (Right) and His Former Leader Kane Williamson Will Be Among The Key Players for The 2000 Champions [File: Asif Hassan/AFP]



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