Best playing 11 of 2025 Champions Trophy ft. Virat Kohli, Rachin Ravindra
Team India have been crowned winners of the 2025 Champions Trophy after a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 9. The Men in Blue executed a professional run chase to scale down the 252-run target and become the first-ever three-time winners of the competition.
Rohit Sharma starred with a fifty while the rest of the batters chipped in to not let the chase get out of control to finish things off with an over to spare.
It was a tournament to remember for India, who finished the campaign unbeaten. While the other sides could not end up with the title, there were several takeaways in the form of individual performances.
Special mention to Glenn Phillips, Ben Duckett, and Mohammed Shami, who narrowly missed out on making the playing XI.
On that note, let us take a look at the best-playing XI of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Top Order - Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan), Virat Kohli (India)
Rachin Ravindra is slowly becoming synonymous with ICC ODI events, adding the Golden Bat to his building resume. The left-handed batter, who came into the tournament nursing a blow to his head, kick-started his campaign with a hundred against Bangladesh after missing the opening contest against Pakistan.
After a rare failure against India, he recorded another hundred in the semifinal against South Africa.
Ibrahim Zadran has been a rock at the top of the order for Afghanistan. Blending in perfectly with the intent-filled Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the right-handed batter played his role as the traditional opening batter to perfection. After gathering a start in the loss against South Africa, he scripted history by recording the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history. His 177 against England ended up being a match-winning effort to keep Afghanistan alive in the semifinal race.
The Champions Trophy has been the ideal platform for Virat Kohli to play the truest form of his game. The conditions, and the profile of the batters around him, have allowed him to construct an innings, set the pace and the tone, and hold his end.
Kohli began the tournament on an underwhelming note against Pakistan, but roared back into form with a ton against Pakistan. His reputation as a chase master reached new heights after he masterminded India's win over Australia in the semifinal.
Middle Order - Joe Root (England), Shreyas Iyer (India), Tom Latham (New Zealand), Azmatuallah Omarzai (Afghanistan)
Joe Root was one of the very few positives for the win-less England in the Champions Trophy. The ace batter provided the perfect template as to how to bat in an ODI, a cue which none of his teammates picked up. The right-handed batter recorded a fifty and a hundred in the high-scoring matches against Australia and Afghanistan respectively, but both ended up being in vain.
Shreyas Iyer's command at the crease in the middle overs has been a huge reason behind India's success in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Confident against spin, the batter has been able to keep the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs, an area where most of the teams and players have faltered.
His fifties against Pakistan and New Zealand, along with his 45 in the semi-final are arguably invaluable in the grand scheme of things, considering the situations in which he has come out to bat. He ends the campaign as India's leading run-scorer, and second overall, only behind Ravindra.
A versatile left-handed batter, and a wicket-keeping option, Tom Latham brings a lot of traits onto the table. He began his campaign with a ton against Pakistan in Karachi, and has contributed with cameos in the remaining matches.
Newly crowned No.1 ranked ODI all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai continued his rich vein of form in the format with a memorable Champions Trophy campaign. The all-rounder was among the runs in the matches against Australia and England, recording a quickfire fifty in the former. He also bagged a five-wicket haul in the historic win over Jos Buttler and co. in Lahore.
Lower Order - Axar Patel (India), Mitchell Santner (New Zealand), Matt Henry (New Zealand), Varun Chakaravarthy (India)
Axar Patel has been instrumental for India across all three departments. His ever-reliable left-arm spin, his new role at No.5 in the batting order, along with his brilliance in the field, have made a significant impact, making him a standout player in the tournament.
The all-rounder recorded cameos in the matches against New Zealand and Australia with the bat. He also made timely breakthroughs, claiming key wickets of batters like Muhammad Rizwan and Kane Williamson to bring India back into the contest.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner has been nothing short of a nightmare for the batters in the tournament. Although not the biggest turner of the ball, the left-arm spinner has troubled the batters with his angles, release points, and trademark pace variations. Holding one end in the middle overs, he ties down the batters, piling up pressure in the process.
He single-handedly derailed South Africa's run chase attempt in the semi-final with his crucial wickets, and even in the final, he showcased his skills and was a constant menace for the Indian batters.
The tournament's leading wicket-taker, and the winner of the golden ball, Matt Henry was the outright best seamer. His absence was noted in the final, as New Zealand lacked venom with the new ball. He picked up 10 wickets, including a five-wicket haul against India in the group stages.
Varun Chakaravarthy ended up as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India despite missing the first couple of matches. He came in as the fourth spinner midway through the tournament, replacing Harshit Rana in the process. The mystery spinner picked up a five-wicket haul in the group stage match against New Zealand, and also played a key role in the knockout games to end with nine wickets in total.