The stage is set for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy 2025. The best eight teams in world cricket will go head to head in a bid to get their hands on the prestigious title. It is worth noting that the tournament will be hosted by Pakistan and the UAE.
It was originally slated to be hosted solely by Pakistan; however, due to the BCCI's refusal to travel to Pakistan, India will be playing their matches of the tournament in Dubai. With the competition set to kick off on February 19, the Indian team has already made their way to Dubai.
In a clip shared by the BCCI across their social media platforms, several Indian players were captured touching down at the Dubai airport. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and many more stars were seen arriving in Dubai. In the clip, Pant was also seen keeping his teammates engaged, asking their birthdays, and then reading their horoscopes.
It is worth noting that India will kick off their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign by taking on Bangladesh. Both sides will lock horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 20, and the Men in Blue will be hoping to get off to a good start.
The side has several big names in their arsenal but will be going into the tournament without the services of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who sustained a lower back injury. In his place, Harshit Rana will take the field for India. With the likes of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and many more stars in their bowling attack, Team India will hope for a good performance in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
The form of some players had been under the spotlight as of late as well. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both struggled to put runs on the board in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 down under. However, with good knocks in the ODI series against England, both batters will look to approach the tournament with confidence.