The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Tuesday night that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The announcement came just 30 minutes before the deadline for final changes to the provisional squad submitted by all eight participating teams.
Bumrah has been struggling with the injury since the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney last month. During the match, he experienced back spasms, which forced him to leave the field and undergo scans at a hospital. Despite initial hopes of his recovery, Bumrah was quietly removed from the squad last week when the BCCI announced an updated team list, which included spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.
To fill Bumrah’s spot, the selection committee has called up 23-year-old Harshit Rana, who recently made his ODI debut in the ongoing series against England. Rana, a promising fast bowler, impressed in his first appearance during the series opener in Nagpur.
Additionally, Varun Chakaravarthy has been added to the squad following his strong performances since returning to international cricket after a three-year gap. The mystery spinner, who excelled in the shorter formats, earned his maiden ODI call-up for the England series and made his debut in the second match in Cuttack. He replaces Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially part of the provisional squad.
Both Rana and Chakaravarthy were key players for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who won the IPL 2024 under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir, who played a crucial role in the team’s success, has since been appointed as the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
India’s campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy will begin on February 20 with a match against Bangladesh. They will then face arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23, followed by their final group-stage game against New Zealand on March 2. Due to security concerns, the BCCI has decided not to travel to Pakistan, and all of India’s matches will be played in Dubai.
India’s Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
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, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Non-Traveling Substitutes:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube. These players will travel to Dubai if needed during the tournament.
The absence of Bumrah is a significant blow to India’s bowling attack, but the team remains confident in its depth and talent as they aim to clinch the ICC Champions Trophy title.
