Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. All of Group B matches have ended with the Aussies and the Proteas having qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.
England and Afghanistan have been eliminated from the tournament. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been eliminated from Group A. India and New Zealand will play the last league game of the Champions Trophy in Dubai on Sunday.
Heading into the NZ vs IND match, both these teams are on 4 points. However, the Kiwis are currently topping the table in Group A given their better NRR compared to India. The final game between the two teams on Sunday will confirm who will India play in the semi-final in Dubai on March 4. Dubai will host the first of the two semi-finals.
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Who Will India Face In The Semi-Final In Dubai
If India beat the Kiwis on Sunday, they will face Australia who are placed second in the points table in Group B in the first semi-final. However, if India lose to the Kiwis, then they will finish second in Group A and face South Africa in the semi-final in Dubai.
Meanwhile, both Australia and South Africa will both come to Dubai after their respective last encounters in the Group stage. An ICC official said that this scheduling was done to provide the team playing in Dubai on March 4 ample preparation time. However, it also means that one of the teams will have to travel to Dubai only to potentially return to Pakistan to play in the second semi-final. Australia have already reached Dubai while South Africa will reach Dubai on Sunday.
India are playing all their matches in Dubai. While all the other teams are playing their matches in Pakistan. The travel and scheduling of the games has been a logistical problem in this tournament since the Indian government did not allow their players to play in Pakistan due to the cross-border tension between the two teams.
Given that India have played all their matches in Dubai, they have a very good understanding of the ground conditions. Thus India will hold a definite advantage in the semi-final against whoever they play against.
Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025 Match 12: New Zealand vs India Match Preview & Where to Watch Live?
