Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has given massive verdict on Champions Trophy 2025 winner and surprisingly it's not Team India. Sunil Gavaskar feels Pakistan are the favourites to win Champions Trophy 2025 title, given the favourable home conditions. Former India captain believes that playing on home soil will give Pakistan a significant advantage. The Champions Trophy will be played in a hybrid model, with Pakistan hosting the majority of the matches, except for those involving India.
Pakistan are favourites to win Champions Trophy 2025 title: Sunil Gavaskar
BCCI had declined to travel to Pakistan after which the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to stage the Champions Trophy in hybrid model, with India's matches being held in the United Arab Emirates.
Gavaskar didn't pick India as winners but did support his argument by mentioning their impressive show in the recent ODI World Cup 2023 in home conditions, where they displayed dominance throughout the tournament, with the exception of the final match. India reached the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 and were widely considered the favorites to lift the trophy. However, in a heartbreaking turn of events, they suffered a defeat against Australia in the summit clash held in Ahmedabad.
"The tag of favourites should be given to the home team Pakistan as it’s not easy to beat any team in their home conditions. India lost in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 but before that they put up clinical performances and won ten matches on the trot. Hence, I feel Pakistan are the favourites for the upcoming tournament," Gavaskar told Sports Sports.
The Champions Trophy is set to kick off from February 19th with the host nation, Pakistan, facing New Zealand in Karachi. The final match is scheduled for March 9 and will be played in either Dubai or Lahore, depending on India's progress in the tournament.
Pakistan are the reigning champions of the Champions Trophy, having defeated India in a one-sided final at The Oval in London in 2017.
India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja
India’s squad for ODI series against England
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja