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Predictions 
It’s not even a week since the Champions Trophy 2025 started and we already have two semifinalists. Such is the nature of the tournament that every game is almost a knockout. Hence, after just six games, the semi-finalists from Group A have already been decided.
India and New Zealand have booked their place in the top four on the back of successive wins. Both teams have beaten Pakistan and Bangladesh so far and have four points each. New Zealand are at the top of the Group A points table on the virtue of a better net run rate.
New Zealand started the tournament with a 60-run win over hosts Pakistan before outclassing Bangladesh on Monday (February 24). Meanwhile, India’s campaign kicked off with a comfortable six-wicket win over Bangladesh before they thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan to make it two in two.
There are two games left in Group A and both will be dead rubbers. Pakistan will face Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on the 27th of February but the game will decide who finishes with the wooden spoon in Group A. Meanwhile, India face New Zealand in what will be a top of the table clash on the 2nd of March (Sunday) in Dubai.
Irrespective of where they finish on the table, India will play their semi-final on the 4th of March in Dubai while New Zealand’s semi-final is scheduled to be played in Lahore on the 5th of March.
Group B still wide open
Only two games have been played in Group B. Australia stunned England with a five-wicket win as they hunted down the highest-ever total in the history of ICC tournaments (352). Meanwhile, South Africa proved to be too good for Afghanistan as they recorded a comprehensive 107-run win.
Australia and South Africa will go head to head on Tuesday (February 25) and the winner will inch closer to a semi-final berth. On the other hand, England and Afghanistan will be under pressure when they play each other on Wednesday (February 26), having lost their respective first games. A loss could bring an end to their run in this tournament.
India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand were the semi-finalists of the 2023 World Cup. It could end up being a similar top four this time around as well. All these four teams have won the Champions Trophy at some point. South Africa and New Zealand won the first two editions when it was called the ICC Knockout Trophy while India (2002, 2013) and Australia (2006, 2009) have won it twice each.
Pakistan’s poor run in ICC tournaments
Pakistan hosted an ICC event after 29 years but all it took was six games for them to be knocked out. It is the third successive ICC event in which they have not passed the first round. They were knocked out of the league stages in the 2023 World Cup, they failed to make it past the group stages in the 2024 T20 World Cup and now, are in danger of even finishing at the bottom of Group A in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
