India will square off against Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Thursday. The Men in Blue have had their wood on the Tigers but they would not want to be complacent against their Asian rivals.
We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form of Bangladesh: L L L L W
The Tigers were clean-swept by the West Indies in December 2024 and they also suffered a 1-2 series loss against Afghanistan. Bangladesh will also miss the services of Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, who both have impressive records against India.
Current form of India: W W W L L
India was at their best in the three-match ODI series against England and they will aim to continue the good show against Bangladesh. The Men in Blue will want their batters to do the bulk of the work as they will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah.
Head to Head: Matches: 41, Won by India: 32, Won by Bangladesh: 8.
Players to watch out for: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya will be the crucial players for India.
Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, and Soumya Sarkar will hold the key for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossai Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
