No Captain’s Event Or Photoshoot Before Champions Trophy 2025
The PCB confirmed that no official ICC captain’s meet or photoshoot would precede the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. No Captain’s Event For Champions Trophy 2025 For the first time, the Champions Trophy will be skipped in the buildup to the event in Pakistan. The host nation usually organizes this meet in the host country. In the case of the first ICC event in Pakistan after 1996, i.e. the Champions Trophy 2025, the usual meet would be skipped. Reasons Behind The Logistical Challenges Unlike the Champions Trophy in 2017 that took place in the UK where there was a captain’s event and photoshoot, this tournament will not repeat the same this year. According to the PCB, there was no plan for an opening ceremony, further revealing that neither the ICC nor the PCB had planned one. However, the PCB will host a special event on February 16 in Lahore three days before the opening match to mark the tournament. The reason for not attending the captain’s event and photoshoot was logistical. The tournament will be played in four venues across two countries, and with tight schedules for teams, many will arrive in Pakistan close to the start of the tournament. In fact, Australia’s team will not reach Pakistan until February 19, the day of the opening match. Effect On India’s Participation This also provides a fillip to the debate over India playing in the captain’s event. India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012 due to political tensions and have met each other only at ICC events. Under the tournament’s hybrid model, India’s matches, which will include the final if it reaches there, will be staged in Dubai. Glorifying Renovated Grounds In a further buildup of the excitement, the PCB has planned ceremonies at the completion of refurbished stadiums in Lahore and Karachi. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, under renovation, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on February 7, 2025 and National Stadium, Karachi, by President Asif Ali Zardari on February 11, 2025. This will indeed mark the start of a keenly awaited tournament in Pakistan. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Team India Announce Squad For The ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Team India today announced the team that will represent it at theICC Champions Trophy 2025, which starts on February 19, 2025. Team India will face Bangladesh the very next day and will have a much-awaited Pakistan encounter on February 23 in Dubai. Hybrid Model For Team India During Champions Trophy After the breakthrough agreement last month, the ICC has decided on a hybrid model for the 2025 Champions Trophy. In this, the matches involving India will be played in Dubai despite the tournament officially being hosted by Pakistan. Team India To Take On England Before Champions Trophy Team India’s preparation will begin with a bilateral ODI series against England. India will play three bilateral ODIs against England on February 6, 9, and 12 – the first 50-over cricket for the team since the series against Sri Lanka in August 2024. Bumrah And Kuldeep Return Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have been named in India’s provisional 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy. The final squad must be submitted to the ICC by February 11. Team India Schedule For Champions Trophy Team India will be featuring in the Group A at the Champions Trophy. Under this group, Team India will be playing Bangladesh on February 20, 2025, Pakistan on February 23, 2025 and New Zealand on March 2, 2025. All the matches will be played in Dubai as the Indian authorities refused permission for the team to travel to Pakistan. Team India For The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Shreyas Iyer Is The X-Factor India Needs At Champions Trophy
As the selection talks begin for the Indian Cricket Team for the ICC Champions Trophy, Shreyas Iyer is one name that every sensible cricket follower would expect to be featured in the Indian Cricket Team. What Can Shreyas Iyer Do? As a classy stroke player, Shreyas Iyer can stabilize innings and hold his ground at pressure games. He would be the potential missing X-factor that Team India may require for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which is to commence on 19th February. Shreyas Iyer’s potential as a match-winner during middle-order crises, especially at big-ticket events, makes him an asset India cannot miss. Why Will Shreyas Iyer Help India’s Middle Order? Shreyas Iyer is that stability which the Indian Cricket Team will need in the middle order. Soaking the pressure and delivering the goods while being in the middle order is an important feature of any ICC competition. Iyer can accelerate to a certain level if a situation gets really tough to handle and is a good finisher too. This quick adaptation of Shreyas Iyer under pressure will really be a big aspect for the Indian Cricket Team in the Champions Trophy. Shreyas Iyer Comes Back From A Rough Patch Coming into this series, Shreyas Iyer hadn’t been great since his last game for India, during India’s Tour Of Sri Lanka in August 2024. Iyer had played only three ODIs and had aggregated only 38 runs, averaging a 12.66, which indeed is low for a cricketer of that caliber. With the announcement of the Indian Cricket Team squad for the England limited-overs series and the Champions Trophy likely to come out in the coming days, Shreyas Iyer would also want to ensure himself a place in the team. Shreyas Iyer: From Struggles To Resurrection He was very bold after his no-shows for the previous matches against Sri Lanka. Shreyas Iyer batted extremely well in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, however, was not there in the list of BCCI central contracts; he was not there for the domestic tournaments. However, return to form is surely something that could only be described in superlative terms. Shreyas Iyer’s Impressive Records Shreyas Iyer has scored 4,300 runs with an average of 39.77 in international cricket, with 14 tests, 62 ODIs and 51 T20Is, with a strike rate of 96.57 and six hundreds. Shreyas Iyer showed maturity and consistency in big games in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, scoring 530 runs in 11 innings with an average of 66.25 and a strike rate of 113.24. This shows how vital an asset, Shreyas Iyer is going to be for the Indian Cricket Team in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Shreyas Iyer’s Outstanding 2024-25 Domestic Season Shreyas Iyer has been playing exceptional cricket in the domestic season of 2024-25 for Mumbai. In just four matches of Ranji Trophy, Iyer had scored 452 runs with an average of 90.40 and strike rate of 88.80. His individual highest score had been 233 runs. Shreyas Iyer’s brilliant performances were also noticed in shorter formats where he gave a spectacular performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he scored 345 runs in nine matches of the tournament while maintaining an average of 49.28 with strikes at 188.52. He steered Mumbai to victory in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by taking the same. Shreyas Iyer’s Contributions In The Vijay Hazare Trophy Shreyas Iyer has been batting well in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. In five matches for Mumbai, he scored 325 runs. Against Puducherry, his unbeaten 137 saved his team from a precarious 82 for five. Iyer again came out with a match-winning performance under pressure. His explosive 114 off just 55 balls against Karnataka also showcased his striking range. Within 50 balls, Shreyas Iyer had completed his century. Shreyas Iyer’s Adaptability Shreyas Iyer close game experience together with his talent to make himself in any kind of changing situation means he’s that player who looks more dominating, especially for match-winning situations in high pressure games. He does boast excellent records both at home and away, on several instances, also showing he is the kind of chap who would genuinely come up at the right time when it matters. Missing a player like Shreyas Iyer from the ICC Champions Trophy would mean missing one out on key matches when it really counts. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
India Unlikely to Travel to Pakistan for ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Will Ask ICC To Shift Matches In Sri Lanka Or In Dubai
The Indian Cricket Team is unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Instead, they plan to ask the International Cricket Council (ICC) to arrange their matches in Sri Lanka or Dubai, according to a BCCI source who spoke with ANI. The ICC Champions Trophy is set to be held in Pakistan from February to March 2025. India hasn’t played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup because of the strained relationship between the two countries. The last time the two nations played a bilateral series was in India from December 2012 to January 2013. Since then, India and Pakistan have only faced each other in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup. Given the ongoing tensions, there has been a lot of uncertainty about whether India would participate in the upcoming event. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested that India play all its matches in one city, with Lahore being chosen as the venue, according to ESPNcricinfo. However, the Indian board is not keen on traveling to Pakistan. A BCCI source told ANI, “India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Will tell ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.” In May, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla mentioned that the Indian team would only go to Pakistan if the central government permitted it. He told ANI, “In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India permits us. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian Government.” A similar situation occurred during last year’s Asia Cup, which was supposed to be hosted in Pakistan. The PCB had to adopt a hybrid strategy, with all of India’s matches, including those against Pakistan, being held in Sri Lanka. The final, which India won, took place in Colombo. Although Pakistan had proposed a hybrid approach for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India the previous year, it wasn’t considered. The previous edition of the ICC Champions Trophy was held in England and Wales in 2017 with Pakistan lifting the trophy. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
