Thu Feb 13 08:41:43 UTC 2025: ## ICC Champions Trophy Returns to Pakistan and UAE in 2025

**Karachi, Pakistan –** The ICC Champions Trophy will make its return after an eight-year hiatus, with the tournament scheduled to take place in Pakistan and the UAE from February 19th to March 9th, 2025. Pakistan will host the majority of the matches, with the opening game between Pakistan and New Zealand slated for Karachi on February 19th. India’s matches will be held in the UAE.

This announcement comes alongside the confirmation that KL Rahul will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman for the tournament, according to head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir’s decision follows the recent ODI series against England, where Rishabh Pant was not given a single match, unlike other players. While Rahul struggled in the first two matches batting at number six, a strong performance in the third ODI solidified his position.

Gambhir justified his choice, stating that Rahul is the team’s number one wicketkeeper and that they cannot currently accommodate two wicketkeeper-batsmen in the playing XI. He emphasized the team’s focus on collective strategy over individual statistics and confirmed that the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal from the squad was a strategic decision to include Varun Chakravarthy as a fifth specialist spinner.

The Indian squad for the Champions Trophy includes: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy. Further details on the complete tournament schedule and match timings will be released in due course.

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