India squads for Champions Trophy 2025 Highlights: Rohit's captaincy confirmed; squads to be announced on 18 January

“The Men’s Selection Committee will select India’s squad for the IDFC First Bank ODI series against England and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tomorrow (18 January) in Mumbai. The Selection Meeting will be followed by a press conference,” BCCI said in a statement.

The press conference will be attended by India captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. It will start at 12.30 PM IST.

“…the mystery of his injury looms large . This isn’t just a delay; it’s the weight of a nation’s hope riding on the shoulders of a legend. The cricketing world stands still, waiting for Bumrah’s triumphant return,” Sidhu wrote on X.

“25 years of ICC history — India’s Champions Trophy squad announcement delayed for the first time ever. The January 12 deadline passed, the selectors & teammates wait with bated breath, 1.5 billion hearts pray and hope for the best, all eyes on Jasprit Bumrah. His name alone… pic.twitter.com/WQn5P7kxeN

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) January 15, 2025

A report in Dainik Jagran says the reason BCCI brought in the policy changes was to bring in discipline within the side as some players were seen indulging in “negative” activities.

“A BCCI source said that it is important to bring discipline into the side and coach Gautam Gambhir wants to finish the prevalent star culture. It was learnt that a wicket-keeper travels with his personal chef while a star batter travels with a big staff including a nanny for his kids and security personnel,” the report said.

“There are some players who also travel with their personal staff. The BCCI source said that such practices have a negative impact on the team.”

Kuldeep Yadav last played for India in the first Test match against New Zealand in October before being ruled out of remaining matches and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a groin issue.

“My recovery went quite well and I’ve been bowling for some time now. I’m feeling good (about my progress),” Kuldeep told the Telegraph.

“Karun Nair, it’s been unreal to see the form that you’ve been in. Even Mayank Agarwal has been in some really good form. But the beauty is, it’s coming at a stage when the Indian ODI setup is almost ready to go. There can’t be too many changes,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

“Yes, it’s very tempting to bring a Karun Nair into the setup, and I think he has earned the right to be part of the talks,” he added.

“But I don’t think he’ll make it to the Champions Trophy squad. But if he keeps going like this, why not? A form batter like that who plays fast and spin well, he’s a gun player, and I’m very happy for him,” said Karthik.

After BCCI asked players to stay at the team hotel during tours and series, Irfan Pathan has questioned how it was allowed in the first place.

Pathan, while reacting to the news, wrote on X: “Even the greatest players in the past stayed in the same hotels as the rest of the Indian team. How was staying in a separate hotel allowed in the first place?”

1998: Semi-finals

2000: Runners-up

2002: Joint-champions with Sri Lanka

2004: Group Stage

2006: Group Stage

2009: Group Stage

2013: Champions

2017: Runners-up

England and South Africa had been advised by politicians back home to boycott their Champions Trophy fixtures against Afghanistan in protest against the treatment of women in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime.

Both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), however, have decided against the boycotts though the former shares Cricket Australia’s sentiment in maintaining no bilateral cricketing ties with the south Asian nation.

A recent report citing an unnamed source claimed senior India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been advised “best rest” after suffering a back injury during the final Test against Australia in Sydney, and that future course of action – including checking into BCCI’s Centre of Excellence – will only be taken after that.

“I know fake news is easy to spread but this made me laugh. Sources unreliable,” Bumrah wrote in response to the report on X. ( **READ MORE** )

The ICC Champions Trophy has had its first injury casualty more than a month before the opening game with pacer Anrich Nortje, who has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup last year, getting ruled out of the upcoming event due to a back injury.

The Proteas, who are yet to name a replacement for Nortje, are also keeping their fingers crossed over Rassie van der Dussen’s fitness after the senior No 3 batter suffered a finger injury while playing for MI Cape Town in SA20 earlier this week.

Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.

Note: Pacer Anrich Nortje has been ruled out due to a back injury after initially being named in the squad. Cricket South Africa are yet to name a replacement.

Here’s the full schedule for the Champions Trophy that will be taking place in Pakistan and UAE between 19 February and 9 March:

Here’s the squad for the T20I series against England unveiled by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee last Saturday:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk).

Emirates Cricket Board COO Subhan Ahmed has shared an update on match tickets for the blockbuster contest between India and Pakistan, which will be taking place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 23 February.

“Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring fans from both India and Pakistan, as well as others, can enjoy the action.

“We’re committed to ensuring cricket lovers can attend without unnecessary hurdles. The UAE offers unmatched facilities and government support, making it a prime location for events, even at short notice,” former PCB COO Ahmed, who hopes for “record-breaking support from fans” said recently.

The BCCI had refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, resulting in the ICC moving their matches to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, is planning to host the opening ceremony in Pakistan a couple of days before the tournament gets underway, and that will require the presence of the captains of all eight teams.

In such a scenario, India skipper Rohit Sharma might end up visiting Pakistan for the first time since the 2008 Asia Cup.

Recent visuals shared by local journalists highlighted the fact that renovation work at the three venues in Pakistan – Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi – for the ICC Champions Trophy were far from complete. The construction work was originally scheduled to be completed by 31 December. The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, finds itself in a race against time to get the job done before handing over the venues to ICC on 12 February.

Despite reports of the ICC planning to move the entire tournament to the United Arab Emirates, where India will be playing all of their games in Dubai, the PCB is confident that the matches in Pakistan will go ahead as scheduled. ( **READ MORE** )

According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the squads for the three-match ODI series against England as well as the ICC Champions Trophy will be announced on 18 or 19 January – which is this weekend.

The board, however, has been known to drop sudden announcements, as late as midnight, in the past and could potentially release the squads later today.

Here’s India’s full schedule for the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, with the ninth edition of the ‘Mini World Cup’ returning to action after nearly eight years:

20 February: vs Bangladesh (2.30 pm IST)

23 February: vs Pakistan (2.30 pm IST)

2 March: vs New Zealand (2.30 pm IST)

4 March: Semi-final 1 in Dubai (2.30 pm IST)

5 March: Semi-final 2 in Lahore (2.30 pm IST)

9 March: Final (in Dubai, if India qualify)

10 March: Reserve day for Final

Here’s India’s full schedule for the upcoming five-match T20I series and three-match ODI series against England:

22 January – 1st T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata (7 pm IST)

25 January – 2nd T20I at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (7 pm IST)

28 January – 3rd T20I at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (7 pm IST)

31 January – 4th T20I at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (7 pm IST)

2 February – 5th T20I at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (7 pm IST)

6 February – 1st ODI at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur (1.30 pm IST)

9 February – 2nd ODI at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack (1.30 pm IST)

12 February – 3rd ODI at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (1.30 pm IST)