In a significant blow to Team India, star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury.
Bumrah suffered a lower back injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney last month and has been out of action since.
The Indian cricket board announced that young pacer Harshit Rana will replace Bumrah in the squad.
Bumrah’s absence leaves a major gap in India‘s pace attack, as he has been a key performer in the team’s bowling lineup.
The selection committee has placed its trust in Harshit Rana, who has impressed with his performances in domestic cricket and the IPL.
In another change, spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been included in the squad, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal.
The left-hander is one of the non-travelling substitutes, along with pacer Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Shivam Dube. These three players will remain on standby and travel to Dubai if needed.
The squad still boasts a strong mix of experience and youth, with Rohit Sharma leading the team.
The Champions Trophy begins on February 19 in Pakistan, but India’s games will be played in Dubai. They will face Bangladesh on February 20, Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 3.
The semi-finals are on March 4 and 5 with the final on March 9.
India refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns which forced the ICC to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament.
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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, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
