India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been officially ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to a lower back injury, dealing a significant blow to the team’s title ambitions. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed his withdrawal, naming young pacer Harshit Rana as his replacement in the 15-member squad.
Bumrah’s absence will be deeply felt, considering his exceptional performances in recent tournaments. The fast bowler was a key figure in India’s triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he was named Player of the Series for his 15 wickets at an average of 8.26 and an economy rate of just 4.17. He was also India’s standout performer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, claiming 32 wickets across five matches at an average of 13.06.
Despite being included in India’s provisional squad for the Champions Trophy, doubts over his fitness persisted. He remained at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, undergoing scans to assess his recovery from an injury sustained during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. India’s captain Rohit Sharma had earlier stated that the team was awaiting medical reports before making a final decision.
Bumrah’s injury is believed to have been aggravated due to his heavy workload during the Test series in Australia, where he bowled 151.2 overs—the highest by any Indian bowler. His fitness had been a concern for the management, and with the Champions Trophy being a high-intensity 50-over tournament, the risk of further injury was deemed too great.
In addition to Bumrah’s replacement, India has made another change, bringing in spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in place of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The final squad now features a mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talents, with Rohit Sharma leading the side and Virat Kohli serving as one of the key batting anchors.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025, featuring eight nations, will commence on February 19 in Karachi, with host Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the opening match. Defending champions Pakistan won the previous edition in 2017 after defeating India in the final.
India, however, will play all its matches in Dubai due to political tensions between the two neighboring nations.
Final India Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
- Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill (vc), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
While Bumrah’s absence is a major setback, India will hope their new-look bowling attack, led by Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, can step up and deliver on the big stage.
