With just one day remaining, the preliminary squads for the Champions Trophy must be submitted by tomorrow. After submission, teams will have a month to make any changes to their rosters. However, the ICC has set January 12 as the deadline for the initial squad submission.
England has already announced its preliminary squad well in advance. Other teams are expected to follow suit by today or tomorrow. However, the cricket website Cricbuzz reports that India’s preliminary squad announcement might face delays. According to BCCI sources, they may request an extension from the ICC.
The reason for this potential delay, as reported, is India’s recent engagement in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, which concluded with the Sydney Test on January 5. Additionally, Indian media reports suggest that the selectors are waiting to assess the latest fitness status of Mohammad Shami.
The right-arm pacer has been sidelined due to injury since the 2023 World Cup final. Having recently returned to domestic cricket through the Ranji Trophy, Shami is a key inclusion for the Champions Trophy, as per the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar.
As for when India might announce its preliminary squad, Cricbuzz hints that it could be revealed about a week later, around January 18 or 19.
The Champions Trophy, hosted jointly by Pakistan and the UAE, is set to begin on February 19. India will play its opening match the very next day in Dubai against Bangladesh.
Although the Pakistan Cricket Board is officially organizing the tournament, India will not travel to Pakistan. As a result, all of India’s matches, including those against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the group stage, will be held in the UAE.
