Meet All 8 Captains Of Champions Trophy

The ICC Champions Trophy is back after an eight-long gap. For the uninitiated, the tournament is an eight-team 'Mini World Cup' where the top eight cricketing nations compete to win the elusive title. The tournament is set to begin in less than 5 days from now, the teams have been made, while some teams have named their tried & tested skippers while some have had to make forced changes. On that note, let's look at the captains for Champions Trophy 2025.

Champions Trophy 2025 Captains List:

1. Afghanistan (AFG)

Captain- Hashmatullah Shahidi

Coach- Jonathan Trott

The upcoming Asian Giants have once again put their faith in Hashmatullah Shahidi to lead Afghanistan in their first-ever ICC Champions Trophy tournament. The Afghanistan team has come up the cricketing ranks to play against the top nations. Shahidi will have Jonathan Trott for his guidance, Trott is known to have great Cricket acumen. His guidance can help Afghanistan to go the distance.

2. Australia (AUS)

Captain- Steve Smith

Coach- Andrew McDonald

The Australian Cricket team is one of the top contenders for the title having previously won the Champions Trophy in 2009. However, there have been some forced changes in the squad due to injuries, Withdrawals & Retirements. The Aussies are set to miss the services of regular skipper Pat Cummins due to an ankle injury, hence Vice Captain Steve Smith is all set to lead the team. This does leave the Aussie lineup a little bit short on experience. But, as they say, you can never underestimate Australia in an ICC event. Steve Smith will have Andrew McDonald to guide him as the head coach to break their CT drought of 16 years.

3. Bangladesh (BAN)

Captain- Najmul Hossain Shanto
Coach- Phil Simmons

The Bangladeshi team led by Najmul Hossain Shanto is placed alongside Asian neighbors India & Pakistan while New Zealand is the 4th team in group in Group A. Bangladesh has entrusted Shanto with the responsibility of getting them over the line. The squad looks decent & Shanto will have Phil Simmons as the coach to guide him in what is going to be an exciting 20-odd days ahead of him.

4. England (ENG)

Captain- Jos Buttler

Coach- Brendon McCullum

England will be turning for the trophy with Buttler leading the English contingent once again. Even though Buttler & England suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series against India recently this won't derail England's chances of reaching the knockout phase. Buttler will have the 'cool as a cucumber' Brendon McCullum to guide during the tournament to help England win its first ICC Champions Trophy.

5. India (IND)

Captain-Rohit Sharma

Coach- Gautam Gambhir

The Men In Blue, the most hyped team in World Cricket is ready to shine again in the Champions Trophy under skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma, a two-time T20 World Cup will look to dominate the tournament both as a batter & a captain to get a 50-over title under his belt after agonizingly missing out on a home World Cup win after losing the 2023 ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Rohit will have former Indian player Gautam Gambhir as a coach to help him out during the campaign.

6. New Zealand- (NZ)

Captain- Mitchell Santner

Coach- Gary Stead

New Zealand, a well-oiled unit perhaps the dark horses of the tournament are once again ready to dominate teams on the cricket field in another ICC event. This time the Kiwis will be playing under Mitchell Santner who was recently appointed as the ODI captain of the team following Kane Williamson's decision to step down. Gary Stead is once again set to coach the Kiwi side to help them win their 2nd ICC trophy since 2000.

7. Pakistan (PAK)

Captain- Mohammad Rizwan

Coach- Aaqib Javed

The hosts & reigning champions of the tournament Pakistan are set to play an ICC event under Mohammad Rizwan for the first time. Coincidentally it was a wicket-keeper batter & captain who led Pakistan to victory in 2017. 8 years down the line once again a wicket-keeper will be leading Pakistan in quest to defend their crown. in 2017 it was the duo of Sarfaraz Ahmed & Mickey Arthur. This time it'll be Mohammad Rizwan & Aaqib Javed duo will look to defend their title on home soil.

8. South Africa (SA)

Captain: Temba Bavuma
Coach: Rassie Erasmus

The Mighty Proteas have had some of the best times in the ICC events in the recent past reaching the Semis of the World T20 in 2022, Semi-Finalists in the ODI World Cup 2023, and Finalists in 2024 T20 World Cup, they have also qualified for the World Test Championship Final for 2025 that will be played in June. The Proteas have been mighty good but again that infamous tag of 'Chokers' has come back to bite them on all the above-mentioned occasions. Will they be able to finally go the full distance? only time will tell.

The Champions Trophy will be exciting because the top 8 teams will be battling it out to get to the ultimate glory. The captains that will be playing in the competition most of them will be leading their respective countries in the Champions Trophy for the very first time & perhaps last too. This indeed makes the tournament more exciting to watch. Fast-paced action, thrilling performances & much more await us come 19th February 2025.