India’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign has suffered a major blow as star pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been officially ruled out due to a lower back injury, the BCCI confirmed on Tuesday night. After weeks of uncertainty surrounding his fitness, the selectors made the tough call, replacing him with young pacer Harshit Rana in the final 15-man squad. In another surprising move, explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been dropped, with mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking his place.
“Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement. Team India have also named Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially named in the provisional squad,” the BCCI said in an official statement.
Bumrah had sustained his injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and despite being advised five weeks of rest, he has not recovered in time for the marquee ICC event. His absence leaves a huge void in India’s pace attack, given his ability to dominate in white-ball cricket.
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Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut in the ongoing series against England, has impressed with four wickets in two matches, earning him a spot in the Champions Trophy squad. Meanwhile, Chakaravarthy’s inclusion over Jaiswal comes as a tactical decision, likely influenced by his outstanding performance in the T20I series against England, where he took 14 wickets in five matches and was named ‘Player of the Series.’
Jaiswal, who had been India’s leading run-scorer across formats in 2024, finds himself sidelined due to his limited experience in ODIs, having played just one match in the format. However, he remains in contention as a non-traveling reserve, alongside fast bowler Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Shivam Dube, in case of injury replacements.
With these last-minute changes, Team India’s squad now has a different look, and all eyes will be on how the team adapts to these crucial alterations as they aim for glory in the Champions Trophy.
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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.
Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.
