India vs Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025: A crucial clash in Dubai

KATHMANDU: The second round of the Champions Trophy 2025 kicks off with a high-stakes encounter between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The match will begin at 2:45 PM Nepali Time.

After India refused to play in Pakistan, all of its games are being held in the UAE. Pakistan, the defending champions, defeated India in the final of the last edition, clinching the title with a 180-run victory.

Following a heavy defeat to New Zealand in their opening game, Pakistan must win today to stay in contention for the semifinals.

Meanwhile, India, who lost to Bangladesh in their first match, will be looking to secure a win to strengthen their own semifinal hopes.

India triumphed in their last ODI encounter with Pakistan, defeating them by 7 wickets during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

The two teams also faced off in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year, where India won by 6 runs.

In their last 11 encounters in World Cup, Champions Trophy, and Asia Cup ODIs, India has won 9 times, while Pakistan has won 3. In the Champions Trophy, the two sides have faced each other five times, with Pakistan winning three, including the 2017 final.

Pakistan have made a change to their squad, bringing in Imam-ul-Haq to replace the injured Fakhar Zaman, who was hurt during their opening match against New Zealand.

Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (C), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakil, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.