ICC Champions Trophy: Teams Vie for Top Spots on Points Table

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is underway, with eight teams competing in two groups, and former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has made his semi-final predictions, naming India, Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan as his top four teams, despite three of them being from the same group.

The tournament features Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh in Group A, and Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan in Group B, with only two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The Indian squad, led by captain Rohit Sharma, has begun their campaign with a six-wicket win against Bangladesh, while Pakistan lost to New Zealand in the first match.

The tournament schedule has been released, with all matches starting at 2:30 PM IST, and the group stage will end on March 2, followed by the semifinals and final. The semifinals and final will be played in Lahore and Dubai, respectively, unless India qualifies for the final, in which case it will be played in Dubai. The teams are competing for a total prize money of $6.9 million, with the winning team receiving $2.24 million.

The format of the tournament will be 50 overs per side, and the top scorer in the tournament is Chris Gayle with 791 runs. India has won the tournament twice, in 2002 and 2013, and Australia has also won it twice, in 2006 and 2009. The last ICC Champions Trophy was won by Pakistan in 2017. The tournament will have a reserve day for the knockout matches, and the opening ceremony was held at the Diwan-e-Khas of Lahore Fort on February 17, 2025.

As the tournament progresses, fans will be eagerly watching the points table to see which teams will qualify for the semi-finals and ultimately win the championship. With the competition heating up, it will be exciting to see which teams will rise to the top and claim the coveted title.