Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has backed India to win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, slated to get underway in Pakistan and Dubai on February 19. In fact, Clarke shockingly, by his own admission, feels India will beat Australia in the final of the tournament. However, Clarke hoped that Australia can somehow prove him wrong, in what would be a repeat of the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Australia, in front of packed crowd in Ahmedabad, broke Indian hearts to win their fifth ODI World Cup title.

During a recent interaction, Clarke admitted that India are the team to beat, but hoped that his former side can add another ICC title to their cabinet.

“My fingers are crossed for Australia, so I am going to say Australia is going to be one of them, and I think they are going to play India in the final. (Repeat of the 2023 ODI World Cup final) that’s what I am hoping for,” Clarke said on Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.

“You know what, I think India is going to beat Australia in the final. Can’t believe that just came out of my mouth. I think India is going to win the tournament. I am going with them,” added Clarke, who was part of Australia’s Champions Trophy winning side in 2006.

Clarke also picked India captain Rohit Sharma to finish the tournament as the leading run-getter. 

“Well, I’m saying India is going to win, so I’m going with their captain who’s back in form. I’m going to say Rohit Sharma will be the leading run-scorer in the tournament. Wouldn’t it be great to see him back in wonderful form? It’s good to see him making runs again. Absolutely, I think India needs him for sure,” Clarke said.

As far as the leading wicket-taker is concerned, Clarke took England pacer Jofra Archer‘s name. 

“Wow, most wickets? Well, when we did the PSL last year, it didn’t spin that much; the wickets were slow. I’m going to go with a fast bowler. I’ll pick Jofra Archer as the leading wicket-taker. I know England might not do that well, but I think he’s a superstar. Jofra is going to be really hard to play, so I’m going to have him as my leading wicket-taker.”

As for the ‘Player of the tournament,’ Clarke added: “If it’s between India and Australia, I’m going with Travis Head. His IPL form was phenomenal, his Australian summer Test form was phenomenal, and after a short break in Sri Lanka, he’s ready to go again,” he signed off.

England’s quest for their maiden ICC Men’s Champions Trophy title carries the weight of past performances and high expectations across the years. Having conquered both the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy remains the only white-ball title missing from their cabinet. Twice before, in 2004 under Michael Vaughan and in 2013 under Alastair Cook, England came agonisingly close, only to falter at the final hurdle against India. Now, as they prepare for the 2025 edition, a full-strength squad, a renewed tactical approach, and the aggressive philosophy of new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum offer a fresh shot at redemption.

Strength: England’s strength lies in their formidable batting unit, one that has defined their white-ball dominance over the past decade. The team has been the fastest-scoring ODI side since the 2023 World Cup, scoring at 6.02 runs per over. The presence of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett ensures that England can take the attack to any opposition.

Root’s adaptability and experience make him a crucial figure, particularly in Pakistani conditions where spin is expected to play a key role. Alongside Buttler’s explosiveness and Brook’s fearless approach, England’s batting line-up is built to dictate terms, balancing aggression with the ability to stabilise when needed.

Weakness: However, England’s lead-up to the tournament has been far from ideal. They have won only four of the thirteen ODIs played since the 2023 World Cup and have suffered four consecutive series defeats. This slump has raised concerns about their ability to perform under pressure in a major tournament.

The inconsistency stems largely from an unsettled squad, with key players missing various assignments due to injuries, rest periods, and franchise cricket commitments. Jos Buttler, their full-time captain, has featured in just six ODIs since the World Cup, and the lack of continuity has disrupted their rhythm.

Adding to their worries is the lack of depth in the spin department. With Moeen Ali retired, the burden falls solely on Adil Rashid, England’s most successful ODI spinner. Rashid remains a world-class bowler, but at 36, questions remain over whether he can shoulder the responsibility alone across an entire tournament. His form will be crucial, particularly in the middle overs, where England have often struggled to contain scoring rates.

Joe Root and Liam Livingstone are England’s only other viable spin options, but neither offers the same level of control or wicket-taking threat. This deficiency could prove costly on subcontinental pitches that often aid slow bowlers.

Opportunity: The bowling attack, however, carries immense firepower in the pace department. Jofra Archer’s return, alongside the likes of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Saqib Mahmood, provides England with a varied and menacing arsenal. Each of these pacers brings a different strength – Archer’s raw pace and accuracy, Wood’s express speed, Atkinson’s skiddy bounce, and Carse’s versatility as a seam-bowling all-rounder.

If these quicks find a rhythm, they can trouble the best batting line-ups. Yet, England’s biggest concern remains their bowling economy. Since the 2023 World Cup, they have conceded 6.41 runs per over on average, the worst among all teams in this period. This vulnerability was evident in their recent ODI series defeats against India (3-0), where opposition batters capitalised on England’s lack of control in the middle overs.

The absence of Ben Stokes and Sam Curran further complicates matters. Stokes, England’s talisman in high-pressure situations, has opted out to focus on his Test career, leaving a void in both leadership and middle-order stability. Curran, on the other hand, has seen his stock fall due to inconsistent performances with the ball, leading to his omission. Their absences mean England lack a left-handed middle-order batter, which could affect their flexibility against match-ups, and a left-arm seamer, limiting the variety in their attack. Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse will have to step up as seam-bowling all-rounders to fill the void left by Stokes and Curran.

Threat: Despite these challenges, the Champions Trophy presents England with a golden opportunity to rewrite history. It offers them the chance to overcome their spin vulnerabilities, refine their bowling execution, and embrace McCullum’s aggressive brand of cricket.

The “Bazball” philosophy, which revolutionised England’s Test cricket, is expected to make its way into their white-ball setup, encouraging fearless cricket even in challenging conditions. If executed well, this approach could unsettle opposition teams and give England the edge in close encounters.

England’s campaign for their maiden Champions Trophy title will kick off on February 22, against Australia in Lahore. Then they will face Afghanistan on February 26 at the same venue and in the last league match they will face South Africa in Karachi on March 1.

England squad: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.

Rajasthan Royals Schedule IPL 2025: Inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Rajasthan Royals will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against 2024 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in an away game. RR started off well in IPL 2024, but fell away in the second half of the season, ultimately losing to SRH in the Qualifier 2. RR retained captain Sanju Samson, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag and Sandeep Sharma ahead of the mega auction. Their costliest purchase came in the form of English pacer Jofra Archer. The team also welcomed Rahul Dravid as their head coach ahead of IPL 2025.

Here is Rajasthan Royals’ IPL 2025 schedule in full:

25 March: GT vs PBKS – Ahmedabad – 7:30 PM IST

1 April: LSG vs PBKS – Lucknow – 7:30 PM IST

5 April: PBKS vs RR – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

8 April: PBKS vs CSK – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

12 April: SRH vs PBKS – Hyderabad – 7:30 PM IST

15 April: PBKS vs KKR – New Chandigarh – 7:30 PM IST

18 April: RCB vs PBKS – Bengaluru – 7:30 PM IST

20 April: PBKS vs RCB – New Chandigarh – 3:30 PM IST

26 April: KKR vs PBKS – Kolkata – 7:30 PM IST

30 April: CSK vs PBKS – Chennai – 7:30 PM IST

4 May: PBKS vs LSG – Dharamshala – 7:30 PM IST

8 May: PBKS vs DC – Dharamshala – 7:30 PM IST

11 May: PBKS vs MI – Dharamshala – 3:30 PM IST

16 May: RR vs PBKS – Jaipur – 7:30 PM IST

RR IPL 2025 Squad: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer (Rs. 12.50 crore), Maheesh Theekshana (Rs. 4.4 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs. 5.25 crore), Akash Madhwal (Rs. 1.20 crore), Kumar Kartikeya (Rs. 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs. 4.20 crore), Tushar Deshpande (Rs. 6.50 crore), Shubham Dubey (Rs. 80 lakh), Yudhvir Singh (Rs. 35 lakh), Fazalhaq Farooqi (Rs. 2 crore), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rs. 1.10 crore), Kwena Maphaka (Rs. 1.50 crore), Kunal Rathore (Rs. 30 lakh), Ashok Sharma (Rs. 30 lakh).

File photo of Sanju Samson© AFP

IND vs ENG 1st T20I LIVE Streaming© AFP

England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of next year’s Champions Trophy one-day international tournament in Pakistan and the preceding white-ball tour of India, team management announced Sunday. The 33-year-old star all-rounder was not considered  after damaging a hamstring during England’s defeat by New Zealand in the third Test at Hamilton earlier this month. “Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes was not considered for selection as he continues to be assessed following a left hamstring injury sustained,” said an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.

Stokes did not bat in the second innings of that match as England slumped to a 423-run defeat — a result that meant his side still won a three-match series 2-1.

He previously missed this year’s home series against Sri Lanka and the first Test in Pakistan due to hamstring issues.

With England facing a five-match Test series at home to India starting in June before their pinnacle 2025/26 Ashes tour of Australia, team management have decided against risking inspirational red-ball skipper Stokes.

Key batsman Joe Root, who preceded Stokes as Test captain, returns to the ODI side for the first time since the 2023 World Cup in India.

Fast bowler Mark Wood, who missed the recent Test tours of both Pakistan and New Zealand, with a bone-stress injury to his right elbow, is in both squads.

The India series and Champions Trophy will mark England’s first limited-overs tour and tournament under coach Brendon McCullum, previously just in charge of the Test side.

– Buttler stays as captain – 

Jos Buttler, who missed the recent ODI series against the West Indies with a calf injury, remains captain of the two white-ball teams despite England surrendering both their 50-over and T20 world titles since November 2023. 

But it is possible the dashing batsman, replaced as skipper in the Caribbean by all-rounder Liam Livingstone, may not keep wicket, as he has for much of his limited-overs career.

Both the ODI squad for the India tour and the Champions Trophy, as well as the squad for five T20s in India in January, feature two other wicketkeepers in Test gloveman Jamie Smith, who missed the New Zealand series to attend the birth of his first child, and Phil Salt.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old  rising star Jacob Bethell, who marked his debut Test series with three fifties in New Zealand, is included in both squads. 

Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed joins the T20 squad, while Root is selected only for the ODIs. 

The tour party leaves for India on January 17, with the first match of a five-game series against T20 world champions India in Kolkata on January 22.

India and England will then play a three-match ODI series, in preparation for the Champions Trophy, starting in Nagpur on February 6.

Match dates for the Champions Trophy, which also features Pakistan as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, have yet to be announced, with the tournament due to run from February 19 to March 9.

England ODI squad for India tour and 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan:

Jos Buttler (capt/wkt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith (wkt), Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt (wkt), Mark Wood 

Note: Rehan Ahmed to join squad for T20 series in India with Root not involved

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council has brought England pacer Jofra Archer back into the list for the mega auction after the player’s name was missing from the list sent to the franchises, a report has claimed. Just three days before the two-day Mega Auction for IPL 2025 to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and a couple of days after the list of players in the auction pool was put out, it was officially confirmed to the franchises that Jofra Archer will also be available for auction, a report in ESPNcricinfo claimed on Thursday.

While the IPL governing body and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are yet to officially confirm the news, ESPNcricinfo reported that Archer has been included in the pool and the franchises will be interested to see the set which features the England pacer. Archer has set himself a base price of Rs 2 crore.

Archer, who has struggled with injuries of late, along with his England teammate Mark Wood were among the prominent names absent from the 574-player shortlist the IPL had sent to the franchises.

“ESPNcricinfo understands Archer and his representatives have been in discussions with the ECB and the BCCI this week, seeking clarification on the repercussions in the event that he was not part of the shortlist. Archer has a central contract with the ECB which runs until the end of September, giving them an element of control over his workload,” the report claimed.

Archer has not played Test cricket since 2021 but the England setup is confident that he will be back in action early next year. Though Rob Keys had told the Sunday Times that he has his fingers crossed over whether Archer could play Test cricket next summer, the pacer’s decision to play IPL in April-May makes it difficult for the pacer to play domestic red-ball cricket for Sussex, which could have paved way for his return to the longer former of the game.

England Cricket Board (ECB) is in a difficult situation because if it blocks Archer’s participation in IPL 2025 as it did in the previous edition, would make him unable to be part of the mini-auction next year, as per the new rules.

The IPL has introduced new regulations for this auction cycle, stipulating that players who have previously appeared in the league but do not register for a mega-auction would be unable to register for the subsequent mini-auction. A separate regulation says that a player who is signed at an auction and then withdraws without a legitimate reason will face a two-year ban.

These new rules seem to have played a role in the 29-year-old Archer, who returned to white-ball cricket during the recent series against Pakistan, has decided to enter the auction fray.

James Anderson, England’s legendary pacer and current bowling mentor, has voiced strong support for Jofra Archer, suggesting that the speedster could play a pivotal role in England’s quest to reclaim the Ashes in Australia in 2025/26. Archer, who has faced a challenging spell with injuries, has only played white-ball cricket since recovering from a persistent elbow injury and hasn’t featured in a Test match since February 2021. Anderson, however, sees the pacer as essential to England’s Ashes campaign – if he’s willing and physically able to take on the demands of the red-ball game.

Anderson spoke about Archer’s potential, stating, “If we can keep him fit, the Ashes is a definite opportunity. The only worry is whether the injuries have scared him away from Test cricket and he thinks: ‘Can my body cope?’ But if Jofra works hard enough, and he’s managed well, he would be huge for us in the Ashes,” Anderson told The Guardian.

England’s current focus on building a formidable pace attack has also contributed to Anderson’s own retirement from international cricket, as the team prepares a roster of quicks fit for Australian conditions.

Beyond Archer, Anderson highlighted England’s promising crop of fast bowlers, including Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, and Matthew Potts, all of whom could be vital contributors to England’s attack in 2025/26.

Among the new generation of bowlers, Anderson praised Surrey’s Gus Atkinson, who debuted in the same match Anderson bowed out against the West Indies. Atkinson’s impact was immediate, with 12 wickets in the series, including a stunning seven-wicket haul in the first innings. Anderson noted that Atkinson, who has now accumulated 40 wickets in eight Tests, has ‘got it all.’

“I think we’ve got enough experience with Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Archer potentially, and then the guys that are coming in.

“Gus Atkinson has done really well, so have Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts. They’re getting experience all the time and if they’ve got 12 Tests under their belts that’s great. It doesn’t have to be 50 Tests.”

“He has got it all. Pace, skill and he picks up things really quickly. I’ve worked with him a little bit and he’ll say, ‘right, I want to learn an in-swinger’ and within 12 balls he’ll have it. That’s a great trait. He’s got amazing ability and a great temperament.”