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Not Pakistan, India To Have A Surprise Opponent In Champions Trophy Warmup: Report



India's Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]India's Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

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The Indian team is gearing up for the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025, set to kick off on February 19. As part of their preparation, Team India will play a warm-up game in Dubai before the tournament begins. While the opponent for this game isn’t officially confirmed, reports suggest it could be Bangladesh or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

According to Dainik Jagran, India’s warm-up game is likely to take place in Dubai. The match will help the team acclimatise to the conditions of the Dubai International Stadium, where all their tournament matches will be played. Bangladesh, who are in the same group as India, is a probable opponent. Both teams will already be in Dubai for the Champions Trophy, making this matchup highly likely.

However, if an agreement with Bangladesh isn’t reached, India might play against the UAE. While the UAE is not participating in the Champions Trophy, their team will be available for this one-off warm-up game.

Why is India Playing In Dubai?

The Champions Trophy 2025 is hosted by Pakistan, but due to ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could not secure government clearance for the team to travel to Pakistan. As a result, India’s matches will be held in Dubai under a hybrid hosting model.

Before heading to Dubai, India will face England in a home ODI series starting February 6. This series will serve as a crucial preparation step for the Champions Trophy. While star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will miss the tournament due to injury, the squad will otherwise feature a full-strength lineup.

India's Squad For Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja