Top 11 Players Ruled Out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy; Cummins, Bumrah, Starc, and Lockie Ferguson are among the big names ruled out
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy has not been at its very best, as several of the most dependable players in the format from different sides have been either ruled out due to injury or owing to personal reasons.
The Indian side was the first team to face the blow of the injury hammer, as Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to an injury he faced during the final BGT match at Sydney. India’s ICC star bowler misses his debut Champions Trophy owing to injury.
On the other hand, the home side had to part ways with their most in-form batter, Saim Ayub, when he faced a gruesome injury during the tour of Pakistan to South Africa.
The Aussies have faced the biggest blow with all three frontline pacers ruled out of the Champions Trophy, as the Men in Yellow have not won a single CT match in the last two editions in 2013 and 2017. Pat Cummins, the skipper, and Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of the Champions Trophy squad owing to injury, while Mitchell Starc has decided to opt out owing to personal reasons.
South Africa and New Zealand have now sustained a double blow in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, as Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Bea Sears, and Lockie Ferguson have also been ruled out, respectively.
Top 11 players ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy:
1. Pat Cummins - Australia
The Aussie skipper being ruled out of the Champions Trophy was a huge blow; the Aussies had to succumb ahead of the Champions Trophy. Steve Smith has been appointed as skipper of the Aussie side in Cummins' absence.
Sean Abbott has replaced Mitchell Starc in the Aussie squad.
2. Josh Hazlewood—Australia
The star pacer from the Australian squad sustained an injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024, and he is set to miss the Champions Trophy as well.
Spencer Johnson has replaced Hazlewood in the Australian squad, which makes their squad very inexperienced.
3. Jasprit Bumrah—India
Great Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s best bowler in ICC tournaments, be it alongside Shami or Arshdeep Singh. Harshit Rana, the rising superstar pacer, has replaced Bumrah in India’s squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
4. Mitchell Starc—Australia
The best-ever pacer to have starred for Australia in ICC tournaments, Mitchell Starc, decided to opt out of the Champions Trophy owing to personal reasons; possibly his wife is also on a break, which suggests his family link.
Starc has been replaced by Ben Dwarshuis, the Sydney Sixers pacer in the CT 2025.
5. Lockie Ferguson—New Zealand
The recent exclusion from the Blackcaps side, Lockie Ferguson, has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy, as Kyle Jamieson has been included in the Champions Trophy.
6. Gerald Coetzee—South Africa
Coetzee has been ruled out of the South African ICC Champions Trophy squad, as the star pacer might be replaced by Kwena Maphaka, the youngster who has made a widespread name in the world of cricket.
7. Ben Sears—New Zealand
Ben Sears has been included in the Kiwi squad for the Champions Trophy for quite some time, as he has been replaced by Jacob Duffy for the New Zealand squad in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
8. Jacob Bethell—England
English rising talent Jacob Bethell made it to an ICC event within a year of his debut; however, unfortunately for the youngster, he missed the chance to appear for England in the Champions Trophy.
9. Saim Ayub - Pakistan
Promising Pakistan youngster, Saim Ayub has been the star batter across formats for Pakistan, especially he has been the star of the ODI format, excelling with the bat and also picking occasional wickets with the ball. Experienced campaigner Fakhar Zaman, the last Champions Trophy final’s man of the match, has replaced the youngster in the Pakistan squad.
10. Anrich Nortje - South Africa
Crbin Bosch, the all-rounder who recently made a startling debut in Test cricket, has also made the cut for the ICC Champions Trophy squad, as he replaces Anrich Nortje in South Africa’s 15-member squad.
11. Allah Ghazanfar—Afghanistan
Promising 18-year-old youngster Allah Ghazanfar has left his mark on international cricket too early for his age. Ghazanfar has been a standout performer in a team of legendary spinners like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Qais Ahmed, and Mohammed Nabi.
The spinner at this tender age missed his opportunity to be the youngest-ever debutant for Afghanistan in an ICC event. Nangyala Kharoti replaced Ghazanfar in the main Afghan squad.
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