We’re on the eve of the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. This cricket tournament played in ODI format, sees the top 8 international teams battle it out to be crowned the best in the world.
The 2025 edition of the ICC Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan and the UAE. This is the first multi-nation cricket tournament that Pakistan has hosted in almost three decades. The last was in 1996 when Pakistan hosted the World Cup.
2017 ICC Champions Trophy Recap
The ICC Champions Trophy is an event held every four years. It is seen as a Mini World Cup and it was originally devised as a knockout tournament so the ODI World Cup wasn’t devalued. That changed in 2002 when it became a round-robin competition.
Calls were made to scrap the event in 2013 and 2017. That is why there was no 2021 competition, with a 2024 rebrand bringing the ICC Champions Trophy back in 2025. The holders are Pakistan, with the 2025 hoists winning in England/Wales by breaking India by 180 runs in the final. This was Pakistan’s first time winning the tournament.
2025 ICC Champions Trophy Preview
2025 ICC Champions Trophy Odds To Win (BetXchange)
- India – 31/20
- Australia – 21/5
- England – 57/10
- South Africa – 19/3
- Pakistan -20/3
- New Zealand – 69/10
- Afghanistan – 35/2
- Bangladesh – 94/1
The odds for the eight teams in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy suggest betting on Bangladesh or Afghanistan to win is like throwing money away.
Afghanistan is the more interesting bet of the two, as they have proven to be excellent in short-format cricket over the last decade. The big issue is that their group of Australia, England, and South Africa gives them no time bed into the tournament as it is a murder’s row of squads to face.
South Africa has never won the ICC Champions Trophy and will be looking to emulate what Pakistan did eight years ago to claim their first title.
Temba Bavuma will lead the squad, which is full of youth and excitement. Losing star pacer Anrich Nortje to the same back injury that kept him out of the SA20 season is a huge blow, while the Proteas recent form against Pakistan and New Zealand has been terrible.
Favorites India has an outstanding ODI team and an extra advantage here. Due to political tensions, India and Pakistan will not play in each other’s countries, so all their matches will be in Dubai. This allows India to base there, with their group opponents having to fly in to play them.
Jos Buttler’s England are third favorites despite being seventh in the ICC rankings. This puts them below Sri Lanka, a team that failed to qualify.
They haven’t won an ODI series against a full member nation since being New Zealand in 2023, losing twice to the West Indies and being whitewashed by India in that span.
2025 ICC Champions Trophy Best Bets
Australia beat India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and they would be my choice to win this if not for the holes in their squad. Michell Starc’s withdrawal for personal reasons means that he joins captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood on the sidelines. This leaves the Aussies without any of their frontline quicks in Pakistan.
India is, therefore, the pick, followed by Pakistan as hosts. If you want a dark horse, New Zealand, at 69/10, has to be the one. The Black Caps rolled over Pakistan and South Africa in a Tri-Nation warm-up event, barely shifting into second gear in winning all three matches.
They are in form and confident heading into the tournament’s opening match, which sees them face Pakistan (again) on Wednesday.
