Sports
Champions Trophy: Final squads of all eight participating teams
Dubai, Feb 14: The ICC Champions Trophy is set to commence in Pakistan on February 19. The marquee tournament, returning after an eight-year hiatus, will see the top eight men’s ODI teams battling for glory.
As the deadline for squad submissions ended on February 12, all participating nations have officially announced their 15-member squads, with several last-minute changes shaking up team compositions.
Led by Rohit Sharma, India enters the tournament boasting a formidable lineup, including eight players from their victorious T20 World Cup 2024 squad. However, the team suffered a major blow with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ruled out due to injury. Young pacer Harshit Rana has been called in as his replacement. Additionally, Varun Chakaravarthy steps in for Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Defending champions Pakistan, under the leadership of wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, will aim to retain their 2017 title. The squad features key players from their last Champions Trophy-winning team, including Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Faheem Ashraf. However, they will miss the services of opening batter Saim Ayub due to injury.
The ODI world champions Australia will head into the tournament significantly weakened, with multiple senior players missing. Captain Pat Cummins, along with premier pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, have withdrawn from the original squad. In their absence, Steve Smith has been handed the captaincy. The Aussies will also be without all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, with new faces Ben Dwarshuis, Spencer Johnson, and Tanveer Sangha stepping up.
New Zealand’s squad, initially set, had to undergo a change as pacer Ben Sears was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Jacob Duffy has been named as his replacement. Mitchell Santner, leading the Kiwis in his first ICC tournament as captain, will guide a squad with a mix of youth and experience. The absence of veteran pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee puts pressure on Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, and young quick Nathan Smith to deliver.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, led by Najmul Hossain Shanto, aims to surpass their semi-final finish from 2017. Senior players Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim provide stability, while exciting youngsters Nahid Rana and Rishad Hossain add firepower.
Afghanistan has been forced to make a last-minute tweak, with young spinner Nangyal Kharoti stepping in for the injured Allah Ghazanfar. The squad retains seasoned stars Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran add strength at the top order.
England’s lineup sees the return of Joe Root, while Tom Banton has replaced the injured Jacob Bethell. Under the leadership of Jos Buttler, their bowling attack will be spearheaded by Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, backed by Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton.
South Africa faced a setback with Anrich Nortje ruled out due to injury, leading to Corbin Bosch’s inclusion. Kagiso Rabada leads the Proteas’ pace attack, while Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, and Heinrich Klaasen form the batting core.
The eight teams are split into two groups, with the top two from each group progressing to the semifinals. Group A consists of hosts Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, promising thrilling subcontinental rivalries. Group B features Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan.
India begin their ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 before taking on rivals Pakistan on February 23. India will play their final Group A match against New Zealand on March 2.
This tournament marks the first time Pakistan will host an ICC event since 1996. The 2025 edition features eight teams split into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
The top eight-team competition will see 15 matches to be played over 19 days in Pakistan and the UAE. India will play all their matches in Dubai, including the semi-final and the final (subject to qualification)
All final squads:
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran. Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Bilal Sami
Bangladesh squad: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Corbin Bosch.
Travelling reserve: Kwena Maphaka
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), 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.
Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), 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 squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Kolkata, Feb 12: Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have announced a first-of-its-kind Trophy Tour ahead of the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Last year, they won their third IPL title, adding to the ones they claimed in 2012 and 2014.
As part of their championship celebrations, the franchise will travel along with the coveted trophy across multiple cities in India to connect with the heart of their fanbase. This marks the first time in history that an IPL franchise is organising a Trophy Tour beyond their home city.
“The initiative aims to give the nationwide KKR fans a chance to interact with the trophy and witness their favourite team’s achievement in all its glory. Ahead of the new season, the extensive tour will see the prestigious IPL trophy journey across nine cities, starting from February 14 in Guwahati and finally making a return to the City of Joy in Kolkata by March 16,” the franchise said in a release.
The tour will cover multiple regions in their catchment area including Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Gangtok, Siliguri, Patna, Durgapur, and Kolkata.
Through this initiative, KKR aims to create memorable experiences for the fans who have constantly shown their support for the team throughout the years.
The engagement will give the fans a first-hand experience of the trophy while also allowing them an opportunity to create their own memories with the ultimate prize.
The fans can participate in exciting cricket-themed games including Cricket Rock Paper Scissors and Cricket Pong. Each visitor will have a chance to win fantastic prizes and take home special KKR giveaways, making their trophy-viewing experience even more memorable.
“We are very excited to bring the Trophy Tour to our fans in Eastern India. Due to some unavoidable reasons, we couldn’t do a victory march in Kolkata after the title win last season. For us, our fans are like family. They have showered KKR with immense love, in good times and bad.
“This tour is our attempt at bringing back to the fans the trophy our players had won through their constant love and support last season,” Binda Dey, Group CMO, Knight Riders Sports.
Ahmedabad, Feb 12: England’s seasoned leg-spinner Adil Rashid dismissed India star batter Virat Kohli for the 11th time in international cricket during the third ODI here at Narendra Modi Stadium.
With this dismissal, Rashid has now joined an group of bowlers who have troubled Kohli the most in international cricket. He stands alongside New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, both of whom have also dismissed Kohli 11 times across formats.
During the Ahmedabad encounter, Rashid outfoxed Kohli with a well-flighted delivery that turned sharply, catching the outside edge before being safely pouched by wicketkeeper Phil Salt. It marked the second successive match in which Rashid had dismissed Kohli in a similar fashion, having also claimed his wicket in the second ODI in Pune.
Rashid’s success against Kohli has been spread across all three formats, with five dismissals in ODIs, four in Tests, and two in T20Is. His ability to deceive Kohli with his variations and sharp turn has made him one of the most effective spinners against the Indian stalwart.
Earlier in the match, Kohli notched up his 73rd ODI half century in fifty balls after opener Shubman Gill brought up his back-to-back half-centuries and soon converted it into his seventh ODI ton in 95 deliveries.
Last match centurion, skipper Rohit Sharma got out early on Wednesday, scoring just one run.
At the time of writing the story, Indian are at 214 /2 in 30 overs with Gill batting at 105 along with Shreyas Iyer, who is at 49
Bowlers who have dismissed Virat Kohli the most in international cricket:
Tim Southee (New Zealand) – 11 dismissals in 37 matches
Josh Hazlewood (Australia) – 11 dismissals in 29 matches
Adil Rashid (England) – 11 dismissals in 34 matches
Moeen Ali (England) – 10 dismissals in 41 matches
James Anderson (England) – 10 dismissals in 37 matches
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 is just around the corner, with the third season set to kick off on February 14th. The opening match promises to be an exciting one, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Gujarat Giants.
The 2025 Women’s Premier League season is set to break records, with matches taking place across four venues, the highest number in WPL history. The season’s format includes 20 group-stage matches, followed by two thrilling knockout games, ultimately leading up to the highly anticipated final on March 15th.
There will be five teams who will compete for the prestigious championship in the Women’s Premier League. The tournament would be a spectacle for the cricket fans and will boast an array of international stars and talented players.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicks off from 14th February and there are many exciting cricket matches to come. Here’s your ultimate guide to the tournament, including a comprehensive schedule of matches, featuring dates, timings, and venues for all the thrilling clashes between the top five teams.
The Vadodara venue – Kotambi Stadium
– Feb 14, Fri– Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 07:30 PM
– Feb 15, Sat – Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, 07:30 PM
– Feb 16, Sun – Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz, 07:30 PM
– Feb 17, Mon – Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 07:30PM
– Feb 18, Tue – Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians, 07:30 PM
– Feb 19, Wed – UP Warriorz vs Delhi Capitals, 07:30 PM
The Bengaluru venue– M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
– Feb 21, Fri – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians, 07:30 PM
– Feb 22, Sat – Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz, 07:30 PM
– Feb 24, Mon – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs UP Warriorz, 07:30 PM
– Feb 25, Tue – Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants, 07:30 PM
– Feb 26, Wed – Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz, 07:30 PM
– Feb 27, Thu – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Giants, 07:30 PM
– Feb 28, Fri – Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians, 07:30 PM
– Mar 1, Sat – Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals, 07:30 PM
The Lucknow venue – Ekana Cricket Stadium
– Mar 3, Mon – UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants, 07:30 PM
– Mar 6, Thu – UP Warriorz vs Mumbai Indians, 07:30 PM
– Mar 7, Fri – Gujarat Giants vs Delhi Capitals, 07:30 PM
– Mar 8, Sat – UP Warriorz vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 07:30 PM
The Mumbai venue – Brabourne Stadium
– Mar 10, Mon – Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants, 07:30 PM
– Mar 11, Tue – Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 07:30 PM
Knockout Matches – Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
– Mar 13, Thu – Eliminator (TBD vs TBD), 07:30 PM
– Mar 15, Sat – Final (TBD vs TBD), 07:30 PM
Where can cricket fans watch the live telecast of the WPL 2025 matches in India?
Cricket fans can watch the live telecast of WPL 2025 matches on the Sports18 network in India.
Where can cricket fans watch the live streaming of the WPL 2025 matches in India?
Cricket fans can watch the live streaming of WPL 2025 matches on the JioCinema app and website in India.
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