Their respective teams may not have ideal buildup to the Champions Trophy 2025 but Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson are hopeful that England and Australia would do well in the event while picking India as the top favourite. England, under a new coach in Brandon McCullum, were hammered by India in both the T20I and ODI series while Australia have been besieged by injuries losing four top players — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc — to injuries while Marcus Stoinis has announced a sudden retirement from the national team.

Australia also lost 0-2 to Sri Lanka in the ODI series preceding the Champions Trophy.

Despite this, Morgan and Watson rooted for their respective national teams while picking India as the absolute favourite and listing Pakistan as the dark horse in the eight-team tournament that started on Wednesday with a clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi.

Morgan, who led England to their greatest performance in One-day cricket, the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup title, listed India as the top favourite considering their recent dominant run in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home where they reached the final unbeaten and triumphed in the T20 World Cup in Caribbean and USA.

“The side that’s the frontrunner, best positioned across the squads I would say in India, out and out favourites, I can’t really pick any holes in their side. And I know that’s been the case the last couple of tournaments they’ve gone into,” said Morgan.

India and Pakistan along with Bangladesh and New Zealand are in Group A while Group B has Australia, England, South Africa and Afghanistan.

Morgan highlighted that India had a dominant run in the 2023 ODI World Cup till the final and also won the T20 World Cup.

“Then the T20 World Cup where they robbed the trophy out of South Africans’ hands. And you have to still believe that winning trophies and tasting champagne brings confidence because once you’ve been there, you can believe that you can do it again. So that’s why India are the favourites.

“As far as outsiders are concerned, I will never rule Pakistan out of it. Home conditions will favour them and I would say England are an outside chance as well. They’ve been in not in great form for a period of time and Brendon McCullum has just taken over and in a short space of time, it’s hard to achieve anything.

“They have their first match with Australia on Saturday who are a side without a number of stars like Cummins and Marcus Stoinis was recently retired as well.

“So I’d imagine whoever among those two sides wins, will be there. I think England could go on a bit of a ride, but I’m excited,” said Morgan.

For Watson, the abiding memory of the Champions Trophy was playing in the 2002 edition when they lost to hosts Sri Lanka in the semifinals.

“When it comes to the favourites in this edition, it has to be India. You know, they’ve been bolstered by the presence of Hardik Pandya coming in as a fast-bowling all-rounder. Unfortunately, they don’t have (Jasprit) Bumrah, but it’s just about the identical squad to what they had at the last One-day World Cup where they dominated until the final,” said Watson.

He said he was very confident about the chances of the Australian team.

“I’m very confident about the Aussies, their battings is very, very strong. Their bowling, there’s going to be a few question marks around that. But they certainly know how to be able to turn up in big tournaments. So, don’t be surprised if Australia aren’t there and thereabouts,” the former Aussie all-rounder added.

The Champions Trophy started in Karachi on Wednesday with Pakistan taking on New Zealand. India will open their campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto exuded confidence ahead of his team’s Champions Trophy opener against India, emphasising that his side has the firepower to challenge the two-time champions. With a blend of quality fast bowlers and dependable all-rounders, Shanto believes Bangladesh has what it takes to make a strong start in the tournament. “All departments have to click if we are to beat India. We have good memories against them, and if we execute our plans well, we have a good chance,” Shanto said in the pre-match press conference.

“We have some quality all-rounders, and we are depending on them. We are not overthinking. All teams in the tournament are capable of winning, and we fancy our chances,” he added.

One of Bangladesh’s biggest strengths heading into the tournament is their potent pace attack. The likes of Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, and young Nahid Rana, who has been impressive in his young career, having taken 20 wickets in six Tests and four scalps in three ODIs, give the team a well-rounded bowling unit, capable of exploiting the conditions in Dubai.

“We are very happy to have a fast bowler like Rana in the squad. If he plays, he will do the job for us. Our team has a good balance of spin and pace,” Shanto said.

Despite the absence of veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was left out after being suspended from bowling due to a suspected action, Shanto remains unfazed. The selectors chose not to pick Shakib solely as a batter, leaving Bangladesh without one of their most experienced players.

“Shakib’s absence is not a factor. Over the last couple of years, we have developed a strong pace attack. This is the best seam attack Bangladesh has had. We need to adjust quickly to the conditions here, as the pitches are not as high-scoring as in Pakistan. But we know we will get a lot of crowd support,” Shanto stated.

With Shakib unavailable, the onus will be on Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mahmudullah to fill the void, both as experienced middle-order batters and contributors with the ball.

India will be without their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. However, Shanto was quick to dismiss any notion that his team was focusing on an individual’s absence.

“We are not thinking about Bumrah or any other individual. India have a lot of quality players,” he remarked.

Bangladesh face with India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, February 20, in what promises to be a thrilling Group A clash.

The Pakistan vs New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 clash officially ended Pakistan’s 29-year-long wait to host an ICC event. It was Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan who won the toss and opted to bowl first at Karachi’s National Stadium on Wednesday. As the two teams returned from their respective dressing rooms to kick off their maiden battle in the tournament, the Pakistan Air Force produced an air show, marking the start of the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy. 

New Zealand opening duo of Will Young and Devon Conway prepared to take charge in the middle as planes flew over their heads. Some players even seemed to have gotten scared as the air show began.

New Zealand players and the Pakistani crowd reacting to the breathtaking Air Force display during the opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 #ChampionsTrophy2025#PakvsNZ

pic.twitter.com/5hIBNtQNsu

— Mursaleen wafai (@MursaleenWafai) February 19, 2025

The PAF air show was scheduled by the Pakistan Cricket Board as part of the opening ceremony, which was conducted over multiple days in different venues. 

Magnificent air show by Pakistan Air Force at National Bank Stadium Karachi. pic.twitter.com/iHYhzFtnbc

— (@CallMeSheri1) February 19, 2025

Pakistan Air Force show at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.pic.twitter.com/I8AqTBtAFw

— junaiz (@dhillow_) February 19, 2025

PAF jets doing the air show ahead of the Champions Trophy opener. pic.twitter.com/sNNAFA30OC

— Salman (@SalmanAsif2007) February 19, 2025

Pakistan brought in Haris Rauf for this match after the express pacer recovered from injury in time for the opening match. On the other hand, the Kiwis included Matt Henry in their line-up. Both teams are placed in Group A along with India and Bangladesh

“We will bowl first. Seen the last couple of matches dew comes in later, so want to maximise on that. We are the defending champions so will be in a bit more pressure, but we will treat it like the previous tri-series. Playing in Pakistan will be great as well. Haris Rauf is fit again, so he’s back in,” Rizwan said after winning the toss.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said that the dew will come into play later which does make their task difficult.

“The dew gets on later, but we have a job to do with the bat. Looks like a good wicket. We have a good mix of experience and new faces, and are playing some good cricket as well. We have been lucky to play these guys home and away, so we know each other well. What’s most important is getting used to the conditions here in Karachi. The injuries we’ve had are unfortunate, but are confident with the boys that we have out here. Matt Henry comes back in for us,” Santner said.

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took to social media to continue a back-and-forth banter with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, following the latter’s dismissal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final on Thursday. Gaikwad – playing in the game for Maharashtra against Vidarbha – had to depart after a stunning diving catch by Jitesh Sharma, who will turn out for RCB in IPL 2025. The incident led to RCB firing shots back at Gaikwad, building on a subtle dig by the batter from a few weeks ago.

In December 2024, Gaikwad, while attending an event, saw his mic stop working. To this, the CSK captain had retorted with a sarcastic response.

“Must be someone from RCB,” Gaikwad had said at the event, sending the crowd into laughter.

Now, Gaikwad’s dismissal, inflicted by Jitesh’s superb catch, allowed RCB to fire a shot back at Gaikwad.

“It is someone from RCB,” the franchise posted on X, referring to Jitesh’s catch.

‘It is someone from RCB’

Jitesh doing what he does best! #PlayBold #VijayHazareTrophy #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/0E7z282mlN

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) January 16, 2025

The mic guy had turned off Rutu’s mic by mistake and the presenter said “How can you turn off Ruturaj’s mic”

Rutu – “Might be someone from RCB” pic.twitter.com/o2ZljBs9BO

— Yash (@CSKYash_) December 19, 2024

Two of IPL’s most popular franchises, the tweet went viral, garnering over 18,000 likes in less than a day of being posted.

Gaikwad was appointed CSK captain at the beginning of IPL 2024, taking over from legendary skipper MS Dhoni. He was retained as the franchise’s joint-highest-paid player ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, at a fee of Rs 18 crore.

Meanwhile, Jitesh was picked up by RCB at the mega auction for a sum of Rs 11 crore.

The two sides engaged in battle right down to the wire in IPL 2024, with a final league fixture between them clinching which side qualified for the playoff stage.

Jitesh also had the last laugh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture, as Vidarbha’s total of 380 in 50 overs proved too daunting a task for Maharashtra, who fell short with a valiant 311. Vidarbha will take on Karnataka in the final of the tournament.

File photo of Rinku Singh (left) and Priya Saroj.© X (formerly Twitter)

Beau Webster had a debut to remember in the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney. Replacing Mitchell Marsh in the Australian squad, Webster made an instant impact with both bat and ball, playing a crucial role in Australia’s 3-1 series victory, reclaiming the trophy after a 10-year wait. The all-rounder bowled 17 overs, providing much-needed support to the pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland. He also claimed the key wicket of Indian opener Shubman Gill. With the bat, Webster impressed with scores of 57 and an unbeaten 39*, finishing the game in style by hitting the winning runs for Australia.

Reflecting on his debut, Webster said, “It definitely wasn’t looking like that a few days ago… it’s been a hell of a game. I probably couldn’t ask for much more on day two. It was a hell of a fixture. It was a great crowd, great atmosphere, and three days there was great,” as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Webster spoke about his mindset when walking out to bat with three wickets down.

“I was sort of counting down the runs a little bit in lots of 10 there. I was hoping under 50 might be alright. But no, I was pretty confident. He’s [Head] a good player. We had a few behind us as well. So pretty confident in the whole chase,” he shared.

On hitting the winning shot, Webster added, “Yeah, I just said to Head that I was going to go no matter what ball. I was going to try and flog it, and I’ll leave it up to him in the over. So glad I got a good connection and I went to the boundary.”

The debutant described the experience as surreal, saying, “Yeah, it is pretty surreal to be honest. It probably hasn’t sunk in. It’s been a nice couple of weeks just to be around the lads throughout the whole series and then to get a chance in the last one was a little bit unexpected, but I was stoked and I think I was ready, and today showed that I still do have the game. They can go to the high level, and hopefully, I can play a few more knocks.”

Webster also appreciated the electrifying atmosphere in Sydney, saying, “The whole series has been really well supported and just every time you are hitting a four, you’re taking a wicket… that noise. It’s infectious, it’s great. It makes you want to be in the team and have that success. So it couldn’t have been better.”

Coming to the SCG Test, India won the toss and elected to bat first. India was off to a disappointing start yet again as the top order threw away their wickets, especially Virat Kohli (17) who continued his struggles with outside off-stump deliveries.

However, the fight by Pant (40 in 98 balls, with three fours and a six), Ravindra Jadeja (26 in 95 balls, with three fours) and skipper Jasprit Bumrah (22 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) pushed India to 185/10 in 72.2 overs.

Boland (4/31) was the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies and once again a thorn in the eyes of Indian batters. Mitchell Starc took 3/49 while Pat Cummins got 2/37.

In their first innings, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals even when Jasprit Bumrah (2/33) walked off the field due to an injury scare. Under the stand-in skipper Virat, India continued to dominate the Aussies, skittling them out for just 181 runs and taking a four-run lead. Debutant Beau Webster (57 in 105 balls, with five fours) had a fine showing with the bat and Steve Smith (33 in 57 balls, with four boundaries and a six) showed some attacking intent.

Prasidh Krishna (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/51) were the top bowlers for India.

With a lead of four runs, India was off to a promising start thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 in 35 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (13) as they put on a 45-run stand. But Boland (6/45) troubled the Indian batting once again. Pant did put up a counter-attack with 61 in 33 balls (six fours and four sixes), but India was bundled out for 157 runs, setting up 162 for the Aussies to win. Bumrah could not bowl in the final innings.

Australia was in trouble for a while during chase of 162 runs at 58/3, but knocks from Usman Khawaja (41 in 45 balls, with four boundaries), Travis Head (34* in 38 balls, with four boundaries) and Webster (39* in 34 balls, with six fours) guided the team to a six-wicket win, despite fight put up by Prasidh Krishna (3/65).

Boland was the ‘Player of the Match’ for his 10-wicket haul while Bumrah walked away with the ‘Player of the Series’ award with 32 wickets.

Former cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Ravi Shastri, Kevin Pietersen and Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday extended their New Year greetings as the world stepped into 2025. Taking to X, Yuvraj Singh said that it’s a new year with new goals and same unstoppable spirit. “New year, new goals, same unstoppable spirit all my love and wishes for everyone to have the most amazing 2025,” Yuvraj Singh wrote on X. India head coach Gautam Gambhir wished everyone health, happiness and prosperity on New Year. “Wishing health, happiness and prosperity to all,” Gambhir wrote on X.

New year, new goals, same unstoppable spirit all my love and wishes for everyone to have the most amazing 2025! #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/zWW0CTwC4U

— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) December 31, 2024

Wishing health, happiness and prosperity to all! #HappyNewYear

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) January 1, 2025

Wish you all a very happy new year. Have a great year with great health & new excitement pic.twitter.com/LENR290hKI

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 31, 2024

Happy New Year pic.twitter.com/xjO02ibi4j

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) January 1, 2025

Wishing you all the best 2025!

Happiness, health, love and success!

— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 31, 2024

India welcomed the year 2025 with celebrations across the country, as people in various cities marked the occasion with joy and enthusiasm. New Year celebrations began in many cities with parties, cultural events, live music performances, and themed decorations.

In Delhi, famous spots like Hauz Khas, Connaught Place, and Lajpat Nagar were filled with large crowds celebrating the New Year. To ensure a safe celebration, Delhi Police made prior security arrangements.

In Punjab’s Amritsar, people gathered at the Golden Temple to welcome the New Year. Hotels in many cities also hosted special celebrations for the occasion. In Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, people were seen dancing in the streets as they welcomed 2025. Similarly, in Lucknow, people danced and celebrated as the clock struck midnight.

As the New Year arrived, many cities witnessed spectacular fireworks displays. In Mumbai, beaches like Juhu Beach, Chowpatty Beach, and Versova Beach were packed with revellers. People also gathered at Marine Drive to watch the fireworks.

Meanwhile, in Himachal Pradesh’s Manali, a popular tourist destination, crowds danced and cheered in the streets. In West Bengal, people celebrated with lights flashing from their mobile phones. In Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, fireworks lit up the sky, marking the arrival of the New Year.

In Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, people also celebrated by cutting cakes. In Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, percussion instruments were played in the streets, while Chennai witnessed a huge crowd celebrating the occasion.

A new problem for India that has risen during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been the running between the wickets. On Day 2, mix-up and miscommunication between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal saw the latter get run out. On Day 3, disaster almost struck twice after a mix-up between Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant resulted in Jadeja almost getting run out in similar fashion to Jaiswal. The incident led to Pant giving an unhappy reaction, and asking Jadeja for more clarity.

Having hit softly towards short mid-on, Jadeja had hoped that he’d be able to get a quick single. Pant signalled a ‘no’ almost immediately, but Jadeja was almost halfway down the pitch

Pant was left unimpressed, and asked for more communication.

“Let me know about the fielder,” Pant told Jadeja, with the all-rounder raising his hand in acknowledgement.

On Day 2, miscommunication in running between the wickets saw the start of a collapse for India late on Day 2. Having stitched a 100-run partnership together, Virat Kohli and Yashasbi Jaiswal had a poor mix-up, and Jaiswal gave up on returning to the crease knoA new problem for India that has risen during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been the running between the wickets. On Day 2, mix-up and miscommunication between Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal saw the latter get run out. On Day 3, disaster almost struck twice after a mix-up between Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant resulted in Jadeja almost getting run out in similar fashion to Jaiswal. The incident led to Pant giving an unhappy reaction, and asking Jadeja for more clarity.

Having hit softly towards short mid-on, Jadeja had hoped that he’d be able to get a quick single. Pant signalled a ‘no’ almost immediately, but Jadeja was almost halfway down the pitch. Thankfully, he was quick enough to react and reach back to his crease on time.

wing the inevitable would happen.

From 153/2, India lost three wickets in the space of six runs in the last 15 minutes of Day 2, which pushed them on the back foot.

Sadly for them, neither Pant nor Jadeja managed to play a long innings on Day 3. Pant got out for 28 after a wreckless scoop shot saw him caught at deep third man. It was an incident that led to India legend Sunil Gavaskar labelling Pant as “stupid”.

However, a maiden Test century from Nitish Reddy and a half-century by Washington Sundar helped India cross 300 and reduce Australia’s lead.

File image of R Ashwin.© AFP