India vs Bangladesh Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2025 Champions Trophy match?
India are as dominant a force as ODI cricket has ever seen. They stormed into the final of the 2023 World Cup, and although it all came undone in the summit clash, they were clearly the best team in the competition. The Men in Blue have also been the side to watch out for in the last two editions of the Champions Trophy, although one of those outings too ended in a disappointing final defeat.
India will look to put those losses behind them and go all the way in the 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy, which commenced yesterday in Pakistan. Rohit Sharma and Co. will play their matches in Dubai, with their first outing scheduled for Thursday, February 20, against Bangladesh.
The Tigers are a capable ODI outfit, but their last two assignments have ended in disappointment. They were whitewashed by the West Indies, before which they fell to Afghanistan. Without Shakib Al Hasan in an ICC event for the first time in over a decade, Bangladesh will need to dig deep if they are to hang with the big boys in the Champions Trophy.
A bit of rain has been around in Dubai, but it isn't expected to play a part on Thursday. A full game should be on the cards.
India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
Bangladesh's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
Can India start their Champions Trophy campaign with a routine win? Or can Bangladesh put Rohit and Gautam Gambhir under serious pressure?
Champions Trophy 2025: Heavy favorites India aim to start on a winning note
It's hard to see Bangladesh have any answers to India's batting might. Right from the top of the order with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill to No. 8, where Axar Patel is slated to bat, the Men in Blue are packed with power, experience and consistency.
If conditions at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium are slightly overcast, and Bangladesh have the fortune of the toss and can bowl first, they might be in the game for a bit. Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana are more than capable of asking a few questions, and whoever plays between Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib will be no slouch.
Bangladesh's best hope at upsetting India will be to win the toss, take a few early wickets, and use the likely advent of dew to scale down a low total. However, even then, they are clearly outmatched in both departments.
The Tigers' best format is probably ODIs, so they can't be counted out altogether. But it's easy to see which team is likely to come out on top.
Prediction: India to win.