Shreyas Iyer To Travis Head: 8 Batters Expected To Shine At Champions Trophy 2025 - In Pics

Fakhar Zaman is considered as one of the best Pakistan white ball openers. He has the ability to change the game’s complexion in a matter of moments with his explosive strokeplay. Fakhar played one of his finest knocks, a quickfire 114, against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final to set up Pakistan’s maiden Champions Trophy win. The attacking batter was sidelined from cricket due to injury and illness since last June, but he recently made his comeback in the Tri-Nation series, and will look to guide Pakistan towards another Champions Trophy success.

Shreyas Iyer, who was in fantastic form in the recently concluded ODI series against England, has matured into a middle-order regular in recent years. He has been a blessing for the India ODI setup, with his presence taking pressure off the top order.  

Iyer, a middle overs enforcer, who can take the role of aggressor should the situation demand, will be the lynchpin for India’s batting in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

Since his debut for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell has thrived in Asian conditions with the bat. He was a standout performer for BlackCaps in the ODI World Cup 2023 with 552 runs at an average of 69).  

In the recently concluded Tri-Nation series against Pakistan, Mitchell scored two confident half-centuries, keeping the momentum running in the middle overs. He will be key to New Zealand’s batting success in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

The sight of Heinrich Klaasen in full flow can be demoralising for any opposition. Unlike most other middle-order batters, who take on the role of accumulators, Klaasen’s approach is to put the foot on the pedal from the get-go. His approaching approach has been devastatingly successful for the Proteas in white ball cricket.  

Apart from his brute force, Klaasen also possesses a stylish pull that can stump the best of spinners, limiting the opponent’s ability to control runs while he is at the crease.    

Travis Head has been instrumental to Australia’s success across formats in recent years. He recently claimed the Allan Border Medal as the country’s most outstanding cricketer in the 2024 calendar year.  

The hard-hitting Head was the star performer in Australia's 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign, starring in the semi-final and final wins against South Africa and India respectively. He will be expected to play a similar role in Pakistan and the UAE.

With a healthy batting average and a strike rate better than run a ball, Ben Duckett is England’s enforcer at the top. He forms a dangerous left-right combination with fellow opener Phil Salt, and together they will be instrumental for Pakistan in the upcoming Champions Trophy.  

With the likes of Harry Brook, Joe Root, and Jos Buttler down the order, Duckett will have the responsibility of giving his side flying starts.

This is the first time Afghanistan will be featuring in the ICC Champions Trophy. Afghanistan have a top-class bowling line-up but their batters need to fire if the team wants to create an impact in the upcoming ICC event.

 

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a scintillating hundred for Afghanistan during their second warm-up match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand in Karachi. Gurbaz, the wicketkeeper batter, will be key for Afghanistan's success in the upcoming ICC event.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been in fine form lately with a good performance in the tour of West Indies, where he led the side in the One-Day format in the absence of Nazmul Hossain Shanto. He scored 152 runs across three ODIs with an average of 50.66 striking at 84.91, being the fourth-highest run-getter in the series.

Mehidy will be key to bolstering Bangladesh’s chances in the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.