End of intrigue: On the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

India and Pakistan must reach a broader consensus on sports.

In a cricket calendar packed with international fixtures and domestic T20 leagues, the ICC Champions Trophy has managed to endure. The ODI and T20 World Cups, along with the ICC World Test Championship, remain the marquee global events, and the Champions Trophy once seemed expendable. However, the desire for an ICC-branded tournament almost every year, coupled with its commercial appeal, has ensured its survival. Now, the ninth edition kicks off in Karachi on Wednesday (February 19, 2025), with host Pakistan facing New Zealand. The tournament, however, was nearly derailed by the ever-present political tensions between India and Pakistan. India initially refused to tour Pakistan, jeopardising the event, but a compromise was reached: India’s matches will be played in Dubai. Rohit Sharma’s men will play all their Group A fixtures in the UAE, and if they reach the final, the title clash will also be held there. Once again, a global cricket tournament has been tainted by geopolitical disputes, an issue that will persist until India’s and Pakistan’s leaderships arrive at a broader consensus, including on sports. India begins its campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday.

After a disappointing 1-3 Test series loss in Australia, India is seeking redemption in the Champions Trophy through the ODI format. A recent 3-0 home sweep against England provided momentum, but the real challenge awaits India under the West Asian skies. Rohit, under scrutiny for his form, found some respite with a century against England, but he and his team will need to deliver more to get to the end stage of the tournament. Beating Pakistan, technically the tournament host, at a neutral venue, will add some drama to the political intrigue. The absence of injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will be felt, though Mohammed Shami’s return offers some relief. Adding to the emotional weight of this tournament is the possibility that it could be the final ICC event for Rohit, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja. Having won the ICC T20 World Cup last year, India is determined to reclaim the Champions Trophy, last won in 2013. Beyond India-Pakistan intrigue, Australia remains a strong contender, despite missing its pace-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood. Meanwhile, the absence of West Indies and Sri Lanka from the tournament is another indicator of the shifting balance in international cricket