The ninth edition of the Champions Trophy is upon us, showcasing eight of the finest teams in ODI cricket. This marks the tournament’s return after its last edition in 2017, when Pakistan took home the title for the first time.
Defending champions Pakistan will host the event, while India will play all their matches in Dubai, UAE.
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The tournament kicks off on February 19, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in the opening match in Karachi. India’s opener is against Bangladesh a day later.
What is the format?
The Champions Trophy format remains unchanged since the introduction of eight teams in 2006. The teams are divided into two groups of four, with each team playing every other team in their group once.
The top two teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals, leading to the final showdown.
Each team will earn two points for a win and a single point in case of a no result/abandonment/tie.
Groups:
Group A: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand.
Group B: Australia, Afghanistan, England, South Africa.
What happens if two teams finish on same points?
As per the Playing Conditions of the 2025 Champions Trophy, in the event of teams finishing level on points in their respective group, the ordering of teams will be decided in the following order of priority:
– The team with the greatest number of wins will be placed in the higher position.
– If there are teams with equal points and equal wins in their group, then in such a case, the teams will be ordered according to their net run rate (NRR) in the group matches.
– If two or more teams are still equal, they will be ordered according to the result of the head-to-head match played between them in their group
– If the above does not resolve the ordering, or if all matches within a group produce no results, the teams will be ordered as per their original group seedings.
What if there is a tie in the semi-final?
In the semi-final, the team that finishes top of Group A will face the second team from Group B while team that finishes second in Group A will contest with toppers of Group B.
India, if they qualify, will play their semi-final in Dubai on March 4. Pakistan, meanwhile, will play the second semi-final, should they qualify, in Lahore on March 5.
If a semi-final finishes in a tie, the teams will head to a Super Over to decide the winner. In case a Super Over is not possible after a tie, or the match gets called off completely, then the team that finished higher in the group stage will progress.
