Indian cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar has named his pick to lift the 2025 Champions Trophy set to take place in Pakistan and UAE. The ninth edition of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy is all set to kick off on February 19, 2025. Host and defending champions Pakistan will face New Zealand in the curtain-raiser at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.
The tournament will feature matches across key venues in Pakistan, including Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, while India’s fixtures will exclusively take place in Dubai due to political tensions. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Lahore, but if India qualifies, the venue will shift to Dubai.
Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has tipped Pakistan as the favorites to win the prestigious Champions Trophy, citing the home advantage as a decisive factor.
“The tag of favorites should be given to the home team, Pakistan, as it’s not easy to beat any team in their home conditions,” Sunil Gavaskar stated during a recent interview when asked about the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Gavaskar pointed to India’s dominant performances during the 2023 ODI World Cup as an example of how home conditions can significantly influence outcomes. India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, winning ten consecutive matches before narrowly losing to Australia in the final.
“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,” he remarked.
Based on this precedent, Gavaskar believes Pakistan’s familiarity with local conditions gives them a significant edge. “Hence, I feel Pakistan are the favorites for the upcoming tournament,” he concluded.
Whether Sunil Gavaskar’s prophesied team wins the 2025 Champions Trophy remains to be seen. Pakistan will have to navigate a group that includes India, New Zealand ,and Bangladesh even before reaching the latter stages of the competition which is no easy feat.