Anshul Gupta is a Sub-Editor in India TV at Sports Desk. A cricket buff, who loves cinema, Anshul has been working in the media industry for three years now. Obsessed with numbers, Anshul watches sports for a living after studying print journalism
Several teams including India, New Zealand, England, South Africa and Afghanistan have been hit by injury concerns ahead of the Champions Trophy but none more than Australia, with five first-choice players missing out, some due to injuries and a couple of them due to other reasons.
The Champions Trophy warm-up fixtures came to an end with South Africa winning their practice game against Pakistan Shaheens in Karachi while Bangladesh lost theirs in Dubai. The tournament is set to kick off in Karachi on Wednesday, February 19 with the hosts Pakistan taking on in-form New Zealand.
The injury concerns keep rising for one team or the other ahead of the Champions Trophy and it is the second one for New Zealand, who have been in terrific form leading up to the 50-over ICC event. Lockie Ferguson was the latest one added to the list, which overall has increased to 10 now.
This was the third direct overseas signing ahead of the 2025 edition of the Hundred, men or women. Kane Williamson after turning down a central contract from New Zealand, has started to go on the T20 freelance way but hasn't given up on red-ball cricket just yet.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium is probably the newest venue in the UAE but since it houses the ICC headquarters, it has started to host many more matches. As the men's ICC event returns to Dubai with India playing Champions Trophy matches, here's a look at a few of the big scores by openers-
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is set to miss the white-ball matches against Sri Lanka at home next month. Devine pulled out midway through the Super Smash and also from the Women's Premier League where she was to feature for the defending champions RCB.
After reaching Dubai on Saturday, February 15, the Indian team had its first practice session in the run-up to the Champions Trophy. The BCCI shared a video of the fun moments from the practice as the players put in hard yards before the tournament opener against Bangladesh.
Gujarat Giants after ending up on the wrong side of the result in the tournament opener against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), stormed back into the ongoing WPL with a splendid win against the UP Warriorz with skipper Ash Gardner and Deandra Dottin being the heroes.
New Zealand won the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa recently and continued their winning run ahead of the Champions Trophy. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have lost both their warm-up matches ahead of the eight-team event.
The 2025 edition of the WPL kicks off with Gujarat Titans taking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opener in Vadodara on Friday, February 14. The Giants have been poor in the couple of seasons and would be keen with new leadership and changes in personnel to surprise the established teams.
The eight-team tournament will kick off on February 19 with the hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the opening game. The defending champions Pakistan have India, New Zealand and Bangladesh in their group. All games featuring India will be played at the Dubai International Stadium.
The Women's Premier League (WPL) has been quite a driving force in the first two seasons in throwing up some new names and giving a new lease of life to a few. Many Indian players have gone on to play for the country and the hope remains that it happens in 2025 as well.
The hosts Pakistan will be up against New Zealand in the final of the tri-series in Karachi on Friday, February 14. Pakistan shocked South Africa with a successful 350-plus chase to reach the final but New Zealand also have the momentum with two solid wins.
New Zealand are sweating over the fitness of a couple of key players ahead of the tri-series final and the Champions Trophy. The Black Caps will face Pakistan in the final of the tri-nation series in Karachi on Friday, February 14.