Confirmed Squads for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

As per ICC’s latest rules, the top eight teams from the recent World Cup will gain automatic qualification for the Champions Trophy. Pakistan was fifth in the latest World Cup 2023 after gaining eight points from nine games. They won against the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and New Zealand while facing an upset against Afghanistan in the World Cup.

The Aussies were the champions in the latest World Cup edition by denting India at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Since their loss in the first couple of games, the Pat Cummins-led unit bounced back with an unbeaten streak until the grand finale. They’re also two-time winners in the Champions Trophy, having held the silverware in 2006 and 2009. 

The Men in Blue are the runners-up from the recent World Cup at their home. They were unbeaten in the tournament before facing a massive defeat against Australia at the main event. India are two-time winners in the distinguished tournament. Their first Champions Trophy title came under captain Sourav Ganguly when they became the joint-winners with Sri Lanka due to poor weather. India’s second title came under MS Dhoni in 2013 when they defeated England to upset the home crowd. 

The Kiwis reached the semi-final of World Cup 2023 on the back of impressive performance. They started the tournament with four consecutive wins before losing as many. However, a win over Sri Lanka in their last group stage game ensured a semi-final spot, only to see them doused by Shreyas Iyer’s century and Mohammad Shami’s ruthless spell. The Black Caps won the Champions Trophy once in 2000 when they beat Ganguly’s men in a cliffhanger in Kenya. They were also the runners-up in 2009.

The Proteas side have been playing quality cricket in the past few years. They were second in the World Cup 2023 league table but faced an elimination against Australia in the semi-final. They were also the runners-up in the recent T20 World Cup and have secured a spot in the World Test Championship Final. It is worth stating that South Africa are the winners of the inaugural Champions Trophy when Hansie Cronje’s men chased down a 246-run target convincingly by four wickets in Bangladesh.

The English side were on the verge of elimination due to their horrendous World Cup in India. They faced defeats against New Zealand, Afghanistan, India, Australia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. At one point in time, the Three Lions had won just one out of seven matches. But back-to-back comprehensive wins over Netherlands and Pakistan helped them secure six points and qualify for the upcoming tournament. 

The Atalans have been rising through the ranks thick and fast. After a mindboggling T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA where they played their first-ever ICC event semi-final, Afghanistan are set to participate in their maiden Champions Trophy. Having doused England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the fifty-overs World Cup in India, the Asian side is no longer a pass-over.

TBA

• Batters: Alex Carey (wk), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith
• All-rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis
• Bowlers: Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Key Players to Watch

• Steve Smith: The Australian great has been in scintillating form with the bat. He smashed a ton against India and Sri Lanka in the recent red-ball series. He has been a mainstay in the ODI format as well. The right-handed batter accumulated 4555 runs in 112 ODI innings at a batting average of 46.01 in the last ten years (since Jan 29, 2015). Smith would look to transcend his good red-ball form into the ODI level. 
• Mitchell Starc: Talk about ICC events, and one man from the Australian shores always stood up. Mitchell Starc is known for his match-winning abilities on the biggest stage. Starc has picked up 183 wickets from 95 innings in the past ten years in ODIs. He has been averaging 24.33 with an economy of 5.34 with the ball in this phase. The 34-year-old is lethal with the new ball and has the knack for wickets with the old ball too. Without an iota of doubt, Starc will be a pivotal member of Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign.

• Batters: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant
• All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja
• Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh

Key Players to Watch

• Shubman Gill: The Indian youngster is yet to solidify his spot across formats in the Indian team. But if there was one format that soothed Gill’s playing style, it has to be the fifty-over format. The numbers speak for itself. Gill has mustered 2328 runs from 47 innings at an average of 58.20 in ODIs. This includes a magnificent 208-run knock against New Zealand in Hyderabad. 
• Virat Kohli: Like Gill, Kohli is yet another cricketer who loves the ODI format. He’s inarguably the best ODI batter among active cricketers, having garnered 50 ODI centuries, the most by any cricketer in the globe. Although the Delhi-based cricketer had a poor outing against Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, a change in format could bring out the best in him. If his performances in the past decade are filtered out, Kohli averages 64.55 after playing 142 innings in this span (since Jan 29, 2015).

• Batters: Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Will Young
• All-rounders: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra
• Bowlers: Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith

Key Players to Watch

• Kane Williamson: When was the last time one witnessed Kane Williamson drying out for runs? Such is the consistency of this man. The talisman has been a sensation for New Zealand across formats and will be key in their Champions Trophy outing. He played three ODIs in Pakistan and scored 164 runs at an average of 54.66. Williamson is a lovely player against both spin and pace and has the ability to assess the conditions well. 
• Daryl Mitchell: The middle-order batter has been a classy act against both pace and spin for New Zealand in the past few years. Mitchell averages 50.53 with the bat in ODIs from 37 innings at a strike rate of 97.94. He was brilliant in the World Cup 2023, knitting a ton against India at the Wankhede Stadium. Moreover, the Hamilton-born has been exquisitely at his best in Asian conditions, averaging 50.53 after amassing 955 runs from 19 innings.

• Batters: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton
• All-rounders: Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder
• Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Anrich Nortje (ruled out; replacement: TBA)

Key Players to Watch

• Tristan Stubbs: The wicketkeeper-batter is a special talent who is capable of soaking up pressure and churning out runs under adverse conditions. Stubbs has shown spark against the spinners in the middle overs in Asian conditions, having had a brilliant IPL season with the Delhi Capitals in 2024. In eight ODI innings, the right-handed batter averages 41.50 with an unbridled 112 against Ireland in UAE.
• Kagiso Rabada: Time and again, Kagiso Rabada has been a key man for South Africa in mega events. Rabada is an all-format bowler and has plenty of variations that can outsmart the opposition. He has the knack for wickets with the new ball as well as in the slog and middle overs phase. In the last ten years, Rabada has picked up 162 wickets from 103 matches at a bowling average of 27.56 in ODIs.

• Batters: Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Phil Salt, Joe Root
• All-rounders: Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Liam Livingstone,
• Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

Key Players to Watch

• Jacob Bethell: The youngster has a bright future with both the bat and ball. The young gun can be used as a floater in the England batting line-up. The Barbados-born has played only seven ODIs so far but he can be a surprise package from the English side this time around. Bethell is also more than a handy spinner and it won’t be surprising to see him take wickets in the middle overs phase. 
• Adil Rashid: The wrist spinner has been the leading wicket-taker in the ODI format in the past decade. He has bucketed 202 wickets (since Jan 29, 2015). Rashid has been a key wickettaker for England and played a pivotal role in their 2019 World Cup triumph. He has an ODI bowling economy of 5.62 and snaps a wicket at every 35 balls rate.

• Batters: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil
• All-rounders: Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan,
• Bowlers: Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran

Key Players to Watch

• Azmatullah Omarzai: The Afghanistan all-rounder has been a revelation for his side in the ODI format. Omarzai averages 47.73 with the bat after securing 907 runs from 28 innings. He has cemented a place in their middle order and has the capability to win matches with his all-round performance. With the ball, Omarzai can generate a new ball swing and operate in the second powerplay.
• Ibrahim Zadran: Arguably, Afghanistan’s best batter in the format among current cricketers, Ibrahim Zadran is one of the batters to watch out for. Since his debut against West Indies in Lucknow, the right-handed batter has gathered 1440 runs from 33 innings at a batting average of 48. He has offered considerable stability to the Afghanistan team in ODIs and would be eyeing to make a similar impact in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

The two-time Champions Trophy winners are a well-rounded side with a plethora of match-winners in their ranks. They have a set fast bowling triumvirate with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc at the helm. If required, Nathan Ellis is more than a decent bowler to fill an injury void. The likes of Adam Zampa add to their rich list of wicket-takers in the squad.

When it comes to batting, they’re yet to find an opener to fill David Warner’s void. However, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell constitute the core of their batting group.

The Men in Blue are one of the most successful teams in the mega event, having won the title in 2013 and finished runners-up in 2017. They have a settled group with minute changes to be made. Without a doubt, Jasprit Bumrah is India’s prime match-winner, and the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami only better their lethal pace unit. However, their spin unit is even amusing. Kuldeep Yadav was a game-changer in the previous 50-overs ICC event. The addition of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja’s experience adds invaluable depth to their bowling unit.

From the batting point of view, the form of Indian batters is a big question. Undoubtedly, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill are some of the finest ODI batters. But India’s top five batters need to find rhythm heading to the Champions Trophy.

The Kiwis have a rich blend of youth and experience in the batting line-up. Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell have proved their worth in the format with impressive performances on big events. The addition of Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, and Glenn Phillips makes it even more dangerous. 

While the Kiwi setup will miss the services of deadly new ball duo – Tim Southee and Trent Boult – it lays an opportunity for amateurs like Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, and Nathan Smith. Unlike their pace attack, the New Zealand spin attack is one to worry about. Mitchell Santner’s subtle variations in the air in tandem with Michael Bracewell’s tight lines could prove effective for the Kiwis. Phillips and Ravindra can roll their arms as well if required.

The Proteas side have gained attention in recent ICC events with their brilliant performance. It doesn’t just restrict to their male side but also the Women’s team has consistently made it to the knockouts in the past couple of years. But refocusing on South Africa’s current squad, they have a power-packed batting order with numerous in-form players. Barring Tony de Zorzi and Heinrich Klaasen, the rest of the batters have been brilliant and it’s only a matter of time before the two fires.

On the contrary, South Africa’s pace department have taken a hit after Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee have incurred an injury. The former was selected over the latter due to his experience but injury ruled Nortje out of the tournament. Right after, Coetzee, who was supposed to fill Nortje’s void in the Champions Trophy, suffered a hamstring pull, leaving the Joburg Super Kings without his service midway through the SA20 League. With Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, injury returnees - Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder - are likely to form the core of their pace community.

The English side have some of the big hitters in the tournament with the likes of Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, and Jacob Bethell. The exciting stroke-makers will be accompanied by the richly experienced Joe Root and Jos Buttler. While they’ll be missing the service of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, the English batting line-up reflects plenty of charisma and should do good in Pakistan conditions.

If looked into their bowling department, it looks a tad shilly-shally. Jofra Archer seems nowhere near his best while Mark Wood has just returned from injury. Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, and Gus Atkinson are promising pace bowlers but lack the experience of delivering in an ICC event.

Spin is Afghanistan’s greatest weapon going about in the Champions Trophy. Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Allah Ghazanfar constitute a threatening spin attack that can outcast any given opposition on their day. The pairing of Rashid and Noor requires no additional information and the new lad in the town, Ghazanfar bemused South Africa in a recent ODI series. He has already bucketed 21 wickets from eleven ODIs at an impressive bowling average of 13.57.

If switched attention towards Afghanistan’s finishers, there’s a little bit of concern. Mohammad Nabi is at the cusp of his ODI career while Gulbadin Naib is yet to prove his mettle with the bat in this format. Also, Rashid Khan is not a consistent performer with the bat lower down the order. There have been situations in the past when Afghanistan's lower-middle order failed to capitalize on foundations laid by its top five.