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India vs. Pakistan: Match time, squads, where to watch Champions Trophy 2025 in the US

India vs. Pakistan: Match time, squads, where to watch Champions Trophy 2025 in the US

USA Today22-02-2025
India vs. Pakistan: Match time, squads, where to watch Champions Trophy 2025 in the US
It is expected to be a full house at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as archrivals and neighbors Pakistan and India meet each other for the 2025 Champions Trophy Sunday, which the former are also hosting.
The two countries are set to face off for first time since India defeated Pakistan in New York during the T20 World Cup in June 2024.
Pakistan enters the tournament as defending champions having won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, defeating India in the final. While Pakistan has won the tournament once, India has won twice: in 2013 and in 2002, which they shared with Sri Lanka after the final was washed out twice.
Both India and Pakistan have played one match since the tournament began. Pakistan lost the opening match against New Zealand on Wednesday while India won its first match against Bangladesh Thursday. Sunday's match is particularly crucial for Pakistan who face the risk of an early exit from the tournament if they lose Sunday's match. The Pakistan side received a blow when key player Fakhar Zaman, part of the 2017 winning squad, was ruled out due to an injury from an oblique tear.
"A Pakistan-India match is not just a game of cricket, it's a game of expectations, of emotions," former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Misbah Ul Haq told Reuters.
Here's everything you need to know about the Pakistan vs. India match during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, including the start time, players and how to watch in the U.S.
Pakistan vs. India match time
The match between Pakistan and India is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. local time / 4:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 23.
'Bigger than war': India-Pakistan marks rare meeting between bitter political, cricket rivals
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: How to watch matches in the US on TV, streaming
The ICC has announced Willow TV as its official streaming and broadcaster in the U.S. and Canada. You can access Willow TV via streamers like Sling.
Fans can also stream the game across devices on the Cricbuzz app, while the live score will be available to view on the Cricbuzz website.
Watch ICC Champions Trophy on Sling
How to watch Pakistan vs. India: Click here to sign up for a free trial to watch live cricket matches
Where is Pakistan vs. India being played? ICC Champions Trophy 2025 venue
The clash between India and Pakistan is on Feb. 23 and will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which was chosen as a neutral venue after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament citing government advice.
India hasn't toured Pakistan since 2008 due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries. Late last year, the countries and the ICC reached an agreement which stated that both nations would play all ICC events hosted in either country at neutral venues until 2027, according to Al-Jazeera.
Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2025
Pakistan's Playing XI include:
Babar Azam
Imam-ul-Haq (replaced Fakhar Zaman)
Saud Shakeel
Tayyab Tahir
Faheem Ashraf
Kamran Ghulam
Khushdil Shah
Salman Agha
Mohammad Rizwan (Captain/wicketkeeper)
Usman Khan (wicket keeper)
Abrar Ahmed
Haris Rauf
Muhammad Hasnain
Naseem Shah
Shaheen Afridi
India squad for Champions Trophy 2025
India's Playing XI includes:
Rohit Sharma (captain)
Shreyas Iyer
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
Axar Patel
Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja
Washington Sundar
KL Rahul (wicket keeper)
Rishabh Pant (wicket keeper)
Arshdeep Singh
Harshit Rana
Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammad Shami
Varun Chakaravarthy
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.
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Some simply don't want to take another gamble on another league when they were previously happy to continue in India. Some don't want to let the clubs off the hook, to allow them to get out of deals they might now not want to honour. 'There will become a point where the players will have to look at their legal options,' says Busch. 'We don't believe them being stood down is lawful.' For Indian players, it's not simply a case of finding another team. Many domestic players are on comfortable, if not lavish salaries, that they are unlikely to match elsewhere. Fairly or not, Indian footballers do not have an especially strong worldwide reputation (the national team is currently ranked 133rd in the world by FIFA), so their options are limited. Many support their extended families, so taking a significant pay cut would be a problem. And it's not just players, of course. 'There are so many other people who are involved in this who are struggling,' said a current ISL player. 'People like massage therapists, the people who handle the kit and all the logistics at the club — they are on minimum wages, so they are really struggling because they used to earn little money, and now they don't have anything.' So what now? 'I'm hopeful the league should take place,' AIFF president Chaubey told sports news portal Revsportz last week. 'In a country where football is so popular, and so many livelihoods are at stake, it cannot have a year without football.' Chaubey also promised that they would 'leave no stone unturned' as they sought a resolution. Advertisement The Supreme Court ruling on Friday could get things moving … but, then again, it might not. If the decision is that no changes to the constitution and leadership of the AIFF are needed, the same people will be back at the negotiating table. But if the decision is that changes are required, there will have to be fresh elections and any resolution will be delayed further. Many scenarios are currently possible. No one knows for certain what will happen. A number of scenarios were suggested to The Athletic: There is the chance a short-term deal to ensure the league continues could be thrashed out when negotiations resume. At the other end of the scale, some have even speculated the only way forward might be for the AIFF to start a new league, and move the existing teams to it. But that will take time, and nobody knows what is possible or even realistic. 'Maybe some clubs will shut down,' an official at an ISL club said. 'Maybe some will decide to play in the second division — at the moment, it's speculation. We're just going day-by-day. We're waiting for the league and the federation and to negotiate. We just have to stay calm. At this moment, it's bad.' For now, the uncertainty hangs over everyone. 'I personally had some hope,' said one current ISL player. 'But if someone asks me today, do you think ISL will happen? I would say that I'm not sure. 'I'm genuinely thinking of what I can do next to actually earn money to take care of my family, because all I've done from the time I was a kid from 10 years old, is just play football, so it's a very big shift if I want to do something else. 'I don't have any clue what to do next, if there is no league. I don't know what's going to happen.' (Top image of supporters of current ISL champions Mohun Bagan: Samir Jana/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

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