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The highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to kick off on Wednesday, February 19. The ninth edition of the Champions Trophy will be played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), featuring eight teams, including Pakistan, India, Australia, Afghanistan, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and South Africa. The competition is going to be fierce between bat and ball as the top teams from the world are playing for one trophy. In this article, we have mentioned the top five rivalries to watch out for in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Top 5 rivalries in ICC Men’s Champions Trophy
India vs Pakistan
India versus Pakistan has always been one of the heated rivalries in cricket. India dominated Pakistan in other ICC tournaments like the Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup, but in the Champions Trophy, the fight has been close. In a total of five matches played between these two nations in CT, India have won two while Pakistan hold an edge with three victories, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final. So, this time India will surely look to equal the score in Dubai on February 23.
Australia vs England
Similarly, like India and Pakistan, Australia and England hold an iconic cricket rivalry. Fans can look forward to the flair of Ashes rivalry in the Champions Trophy. England defeated Australia in their last encounter in CT in 2017 by 40 runs, and this time Australia will be eager to bounce back strong. Both teams are seeded in Group B and will clash on February 22, in Lahore.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan
Pakistan versus Afghanistan emerged as the new rivalry in cricket after recent high-voltage matches between these two nations in ODI and T20I formats over the past few years. Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 by eight wickets and is playing amazing cricket in recent times. While both teams are seeded in different groups in the upcoming Champions Trophy, they have what it takes to reach the semi-final stage.
Australia vs Afghanistan
Australia versus Afghanistan is one of the highly anticipated matches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. After the heartbreak for Afghanistan in ICC CWC 2023, where Maxwell single-handedly took away the game from them, the Afghan boys took revenge in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, defeating Kangaroos by 21 runs. Australia will be without their pace trio (Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc) in the upcoming ICC tournament, so this match is going to be exciting to watch on February 28, in Lahore.
Australia vs South Africa
Australia taking on South Africa will also be an exciting contest in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played in Rawalpindi on February 25. Australia broke the dream of the first CWC title of South Africa by defeating them in the semi-final in the 2023 tournament. Proteas will be eager to take revenge this time from Kangaroos. Both teams also face off in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in June as well.
