Follow UsIndia are yet to announce the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy, starting on February 19, but there are individuals who are certain to make the cut. Under Rohit Sharma, India have struggled in the red-ball format, but the Men in Blue are a different beast in the ODI format. Rohit himself has been in great form in the 50-over format.
Here, we look at three players from the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 who could light up the Champions Trophy.
The right-handed opener from Mumbai has been terrible in Test cricket of late but the same can’t be said about his form in ODI cricket. In fact, Rohit has been one of the best openers in the 50-over format in the last few years.
1412 runs @ 52.3 and a strike rate of 119.4 - Rohit has batted like a madman in ODIs since 2023. He has constantly given India rapid starts and made things easier for the likes of Virat Kohli and other middle-order batters. Amongst batters who have scored at least 500 runs in the first powerplay since 2023, Rohit’s strike rate of 123.9 is the best.
Rohit has had a difficult few months, and the Indian captain would be eager to turn things around in the Champions Trophy.
It’s almost impossible to think of an Indian white-ball side without Hardik Pandya in it. The ace all-rounder has been India’s Mr. clutch in ICC events and would once again be the key man going into the Champions Trophy 2025. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that if not for him, India wouldn’t have won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
In ODIs since 2023, Hardik is averaging 34.82 with the bat while striking at 94.8. Then with the ball in hand, the right-arm seamer has also managed 21 wickets @ 24.9. The 31-year-old didn’t do much in the three games he played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but we all know what he can do when the stakes are high.
The only thing that can stop Jasprit Bumrah from lighting up the Champions Trophy is his current injury. The right-arm paceman suffered a back spasm during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and his availability could make or break India’s Champions Trophy campaign.
According to recent reports, Bumrah could miss the first few games of the competition. Even if he is fit for the last few games, it could make a huge difference for India. We can give you all the numbers that would hype up Bumrah, but don’t think we need to do that here.
After all, there’s a reason why everyone believes in Jassi bhai.