The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is less than a month away and preparations for the tournament are in full swing. Almost all the teams have officially announced their squads except hosts Pakistan who are currently awaiting confirmation on the fitness of their opener SAIM Ayub.
Team India is the latest team to announce their squad for the tournament. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign on February 20 with a game against Bangladesh in Dubai. However, these two teams are likely to face each other a few days before the tournament.
India is likely to play a warm-up match before the tournament and it is likely to be played against Bangladesh or UAE. This will be the team's only practice match as they prepare for the high-profile tournament.
India to play a practice match against Bangladesh or UAE
According to Dainik Jagran, India will play a practice match ahead of the Champions Trophy. The date of the match is yet to be fixed but one of Bangladesh and UAE is likely to be the opponent.
🔥 India will play practice matches ahead of the Champions Trophy
🔥 Bangladesh or United Arab Emirates in Dubai can match the match, the date is yet to be decided
🔥 As except for India and Bangladesh, the rest of the teams will be present in Pakistan, then it is more likely to conduct a practice match between India and Bangladesh.
🔥 If this time…– Abhishek Tripathi / Abhishek Tripathi (@abhisheraport) January 26, 2025
India and Bangladesh will be the only teams in Dubai at the time as they will be playing against each other in their first game of the tournament. Apart from these two teams, all other teams will be present in Pakistan for their respective matches.
As a result, Bangladesh becomes a viable option for India to play a practice match against. However, it is not yet official and will be decided in a few days by the governing boards of the respective countries.
Meanwhile, there is another option to play a practice match against the United Emirates. Playing a game in Dubai will be easier for the UAE as it is their home ground. It will also be a great opportunity for them to test their squad against high-quality opposition. It should be noted that the UAE is not part of the Champions Trophy.
India's schedule for Champions Trophy 2025
India have been placed with Bangladesh, New Zealand and hosts Pakistan. They will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20. After that, they will play arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai. Their final group game will be played against New Zealand on March 2.
The other group includes Australia, England, Afghanistan and South Africa. The tournament will be played between February 19 and March 9. The opening match of the tournament will be played between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi.
India to play in Dubai
While all other teams will play in Pakistan, India will play their matches in Dubai after the BCCI confirmed the Indian government's refusal to send its team to Pakistan due to security concerns.
As a result, the tournament is being played in a hybrid model, with India playing all its matches in Dubai. If India manage to qualify for the knockouts, they will continue to play in Dubai. The men in blue have a strong squad with Rohit Sharma as their captain.