On Saturday, January 18, the Indian cricket team announced its squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will begin on February 19, along with the team for the three-match ODI series against England from February 6 to 12. However, one decision in particular caught everyone’s attention: the appointment of Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of the team.

This announcement sparked heated discussions, especially after Dainik Jagran reported that a serious argument had taken place during the squad selection meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. The meeting, which was supposed to wrap up by 12:30 PM, went on for over two hours longer than planned. The delay reportedly happened due to disagreements over who should be named vice-captain. Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar pushed for Shubman Gill, seeing him as a potential future leader for Indian cricket. On the other hand, head coach Gautam Gambhir strongly backed Hardik Pandya for the role, emphasizing Pandya’s leadership skills and proven track record.

Gautam gambhir want hardik pandya as vice captain because of his performance in white ball cricket in recent time, he always choose players according to merit.

But there is rohit sharma who wants to control team that's why he always priorities his favorite players. pic.twitter.com/gIWcY4bmIE

— Ankit⁶⁴ (@TeamYashasvi) January 19, 2025

No one deserves ODI & T20I captaincy more than hardik pandya, BCCI and Rohit playing cheap politics again with him.

Now Rohit makes sure that hardik will not captain indian side in future. unreal politics just becoz hardik sacked him from IPL captaincy. pic.twitter.com/RsghSnIhW7

— Kevin (@imkevin149) January 19, 2025

The controversy gained more traction when fans started linking the debate to past IPL events. During the 2024 IPL season, Hardik Pandya had taken over the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians from Rohit Sharma. This led to speculation that personal issues between Rohit and Pandya might have influenced the decision at the selection meeting. Many accused Rohit of letting IPL dynamics interfere with national team decisions, while others believed promoting Gill was the right move for India’s future.

Also Read: Watch: Coldplay's Chris Martin Gives a Shoutout to Jasprit Bumrah at Mumbai Concert

Hardik Pandya, once seen as the next leader of the Indian cricket team, rose to prominence by leading the Gujarat Titans to the IPL final in 2022 and clinching the title in 2023. His leadership potential earned him the vice-captaincy in both ODIs and T20Is, where he successfully led India during Rohit Sharma’s absence. Despite being vice-captain during India's victorious T20 World Cup campaign in June 2024, his poor performance as captain in the 2024 IPL and other factors led to his sudden exclusion from the leadership group.

Also Read: Steve Smith sustains an injury to his elbow ahead of the Sri Lanka Tour

Following Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20 Internationals, the obvious choice for leadership seemed to be Hardik Pandya, given his previous experience and success. However, in a surprising move, Hardik was replaced by Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain, with Axar Patel stepping in as vice-captain. Additionally, Shubman Gill was appointed as the ODI vice-captain under Rohit Sharma's leadership. This unexpected change has left Pandya entirely out of the picture.

There has also been significant discussion around the exclusion of Karun Nair and Sanju Samson from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. Karun Nair, who had an exceptional Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 season with 752 runs in 7 innings, including 5 centuries at a staggering average of 389.5, was surprisingly overlooked. Similarly, Sanju Samson's exclusion has sparked debates comparing his performances to Rishabh Pant’s.

Mumbai Indians (MI) will be eager to demonstrate their top-notch worth following some disappointing seasons in the Indian Premier League. Hardik Pandya, who struggled as captain in the IPL 2024, now has his hands full. To get this team moving, he needs to lead from the front. Before the IPL 2025 mega auction, MI retained five players: Hardik, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah.

So, half of the team was already established since they had the best and most dependable Indian core across all departments. MI has a large team to work with, and one hopes they do well this time around. This franchise also has a winning lineage and invests fanatics to look out for their performance in the tournament. That said, here are the strengths and weakness of the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians 2025 lineup.

Mumbai Indians 2025 IPL Squad: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Allah Ghazanfar, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton, Reece Topley, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Bevon Jacobs, Ashwani Kumar, Krishnan Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.

2 Strengths:

A versatile pace-attack

Mumbai Indians have already kept Jasprit Bumrah before the auction, and they have now added Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar to their roster. These three bowlers can swing the new ball, especially given the advantageous swing conditions of the stadium by the Marine Drive.

Bumrah and Boult were adept at bowling in the final overs, delivering the four overs assured and promised. However, with Boult, Chahar, and Hardik Pandya, Mumbai's pace lineup for the forthcoming season has improved significantly. To sum it up as a whole, Mumbai Indians currently possess the best pace bowling attack amongst all the sides for the upcoming 2025 edition. 

The perfect and robust batting core

The Mumbai Indians have a dream batting lineup, mainly owing to their strong domestic campaigners' foundation. MI's powerful Indian batting trio, which includes Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav, is undoubtedly one of the finest in the game. In terms of pure talent and match-winning qualities, no other club comes close, and that is the Mumbai Indians' greatest strength.

Rohit's aggressive style at the top, paired with Suryakumar and Tilak Varma's middle-order exploits, will be advantageous in the games. In addition, they have the in-form English power-hitter Will Jacks, developing Proteas batter Ryan Rickelton, and wicketkeeper batter Robin Minz to assist in reinforcing the top and middle orders.

1 Weakness:

The usual business of lacking a strong spinner

One of the Mumbai Indians' principal vulnerabilities going into IPL 2025 is a lack of good spin options. While they have signed overseas spinners like Mitchell Santner and Allah Ghazanfar, Santner has had few opportunities in the IPL thus far, while Ghazanfar is fresh to the tournament.

This means MI will be highly reliant on the overseas spinners. Karn Sharma is the sole Indian spinner in the team, although he is expected to sit on the bench. With no other Indian spin options available, Mumbai may struggle, especially on spin-friendly pitches, making this a source of concern for the franchise.

The Indian cricketers' personal life has come under the scanner of late. With emerging reports of their troubled married life coming to light, not all seems to be going well for them off the field. Amidst never-ending divorce stories emerging from the Indian camp, another Indian cricketer joins the queue. 

As per reports and widespread speculation, Indian top-order batsman, Manish Pandey and his wife Ashrita Shetty are in the midst of a very troubled relationship. This becomes more obvious if one looks at the social media activities of the two personalities. This development has sparked concerns among the fans who now feel that the couple could be on the course of an inevitable separation.  

See also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Probable Complete Squads

More into the rift between Manish Pandey and Ashrita Shetty

Featuring in 68 internationals for India, Manish tied the knot with actor Ashrita Shetty in December 2019.  But it seems like the couple's honeymoon days are long over. Once seen frequently in the public together, the couple has not made any public visits for quite some time now. Additionally, the two have also distanced themselves from each other on social media as well. This claim is further bolstered after learning that the couple has unfollowed each other on Instagram.  

To add further to the tension, both Manish and Ashrita have removed the images of each other from their respective Instagram accounts. This development has led many to believe that the couple may be heading in the path of a possible divorce. However, neither Manish nor Ashrita have come forward to confirm that the claim is true just yet. 

The catastrophic fate of Yuzvendra and Hardik 

Prior to Manish, two other Indian cricketers have also been at the eye of the storm and have found themselves at the receiving end whilst splitting apart. While Hardik has already announced his separation from his wife Natasa Stankovic a year ago, tension seems to be brewing between Chahal and Dhanushree with experts suggesting that their marriage days could be well be numbered. 

Cricket runs in the blood of many Indians, creating an enormous fanbase which has been prominent for quite a long time. However, in 2024, the landscape of the cricketing ecosystem has changed. Regarding Google Search, the modern-day gladiators have been surpassed by rising stars who have demonstrated their prowess on the most significant stage.

The IPL has always provided an excellent platform for rising players to demonstrate their abilities; this year has been no exception. The top three include two uncapped players who have performed admirably on a stage like the IPL.

At the same time, the first spot is retained by the all-rounder who displayed his impeccable comeback through the medium of cricket. That said, here's the list of the top three most searched players on Google, 2024 edition. 

India’s Provisional Squad Deadline: January 12th

The upcoming Cricket World's Champions Trophy is making everyone quite energetic. Teams are hustling to lock down their player lists because the tourney is approaching. We must look at the newest details and the main dates we should know.India has to get their preliminary roster to officials by January 12. This list impacts their plan of action as they try for another chance at winning.The group in charge of India's team is probably trying to digest fully the players' skills and health before saying who is on the team.

Squad Changes Allowed Until February 13th

Every team in the thing, including India, can swap players on their starting lists until February 13. This now allows them to think about possible injuries or fast changes in talent. It makes certain they will use the very best when games begin.Being able to alter squads until February 13 is really handy for the teams.It's room for watching how people play and keep an eye on fitness. For India, now might be a very important time in sorting out spots, for both versatile players and the extra throwers.A large amount of cricket fans are very interested for these declarations, because picking the players makes for discussion and conflicts. January 12 gives a preview of the group's main athletes, and the February 13 end point will settle the actual teams for the entire contest.

Let us engage in a quick look at some major items: the submission dates and impact. They make up our path to discovery and discernment. Having to send in that list of people by Jan 12? That's not the end though, because changes can happen right until February 13th. If a person gets an pain or a player suddenly becomes significantly better, a coach can shuffle the cards. It could even become a spanner in the works if the wrong call is made.

ALSO READ: Test Cricket Shake-Up: Jay Shah, Cricket Australia, and ECB Discuss Two-Division Format

Stick with the updates as teams get their game face on for an intense Champions Trophy!

12th January is the final date to submit the squads for the 2025 Champions Trophy. (Sports Tak). pic.twitter.com/2ju0Uugi1u

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 5, 2025

India's Expected Squad for the Champions Trophy 2025

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule

Team India's painful episode down under came to an end on Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as Australia hammered them 3-1 to regain the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) for the first time in a decade. Needless to say, it was a series to forget for the Indian players and the coaching staff led by Gautam Gambhir who has now come under severe criticism for his inability to deliver positive results. 

Under his mentorship, India has now lost six out of eight Tests and as the dust settles on the five-match BGT 2024-25 series, the attention now shifts to the white-ball series which is lined up against England later this month just before the start of Champions Trophy. The selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar traveled with the Indian team to Australia along with Gambhir and the duo will now reportedly sit down to discuss possible squad combinations for the upcoming England home series and Champions Trophy. 

See also: Gautam Gambhir Calls for Players to Focus on Domestic Cricket, Irfan Pathan Responds Furiously

India's probable squad for the England series

Following the tireless Australian tour, the senior players from Team India are likely to be rested for the England series. As per reports, it is highly probable that we could see the omission of some big names like Virat, Rohit, and Bumrah. However, with a very short window period before the start of the marquee event, the chances of them being left out are slim.

Yashasvi Jaiswal could make a strong case for himself at the top of the order and can pair either with Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill. It remains to be seen where Virat would bat in the batting order. After months of inactivity, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya could possibly return to the ODI set up too. Shreyas Iyer has demonstrated impressive performance in recent white-ball tournaments. The competition for the middle order position appears to be between him and KL Rahul; however, Rahul may have the advantage due to his ability to serve as a wicketkeeper as well. Rishabh Pant is expected to take on the role of the specialist wicketkeeper.

As far as India's pace battery is concerned, India do not want deplete the energy reverses of Jasprit Bumrah after a hectic BGT tour just before the Champions Trophy. Keeping that in mind, India would want to utilize Bumrah judiciously and it is highly likely that we may not see him in action in the white-ball series against England. Apart from him, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami could be the other fast bowlers subjected to fitness.

India's last ODI assignment under Gambhir

India's last white-ball assignment in the ODI format ended in a 0-2 defeat in Sri Lanka. Under Gambhir's mentorship, India suffered the first bilateral series defeat against Sri Lanka in 27 years. Despite being in a very competitive position in the first ODI, the Indian team was forced to settle for a tie in the first game and were subsequently outclassed in the next two ODIs courtesy of a lethal spin bowling attack from Sri Lanka.

However, in the following months, India witnessed a significant surge in performance in the T20I format when they famously took down Bangladesh and South Africa by an unbelievable margin of 3-0 and 4-1 respectively. 

Hardik Pandya Could Replace Rohit Sharma as India's Captain for 2025 Champions Trophy

Hardik Pandya might become the new captain for India, taking over from Rohit Sharma, and this is causing several talks. The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is just around the corner, and everyone is excited. People think a change could really be major for Indian cricket, so you have fans and experts discussing it.

ALSO READ:Taskin Ahmed Shatters BPL Record with Stunning 7-Wicket Haul

Hardik Pandya: A Strong Contender to Lead India in the 2025 Champions Trophy

Hardik Pandya might be the new captain because he plays cricket extremely well and knows how to lead a team. As we are almost at the 2025 Champions Trophy, people are conversing about possibly picking a new captain. Rohit Sharma, today, is the captain for India in some cricket formats and he's really amazing at it. Sharma played a strikingly large part in India grasping the win at the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.

Hardik Pandya is the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which is a very good team. He's a great leader, doing especially well in shorter cricket games, such as T20Is, where he's led India before. Because he masters under pressure and tries his best, a large number of people in the Indian cricket scene look up to him. This was very clear when, under his leadership, India grasped the win in the 2022 Asia Cup, showing everyone he's amazing at leading a team.

Hardik really shines in cricket, whether he's hitting balls really far or throwing them quickly past batters. His group looks up to him not only because he's bold in the game but also because he leads by example, not simply words. This attitude of his excites everyone, making them feel more confident, especially when major tournaments like the Champions Trophy roll around.People really admire him because he's great at both batting and bowling when things get intense, and his natural way of leading is seen as perfect for the team.

Furthermore, by guiding younger players and helping them shine, Hardik could be vitally key for India's win in the industry. Many people think he can bring a new way to how India's team is led, all thanks to his wonderful thinking and sharp and informed strategies.

Before deciding to make Hardik Pandya the captain over Rohit, the team deciders really need to think carefully about the pros and cons. It's important not to forget how much Rohit has brought to the team with his great guidance and many wins, particularly in major competitions. This choice could really be scary and risky.Even though Hardik's nice and everything, Rohit's obtained a substantial amount of experience and many think he can still give a lot as the captain.

"Reports: Hardik Pandya to Lead India in 2025 Champions Trophy if Rohit Sharma is Out""Reports: Hardik Pandya to Lead India in 2025 Champions Trophy if Rohit Sharma is Out"Hardik Pandya might be the leader of the Indian cricket team for the 2025 Champions Trophy but a substantial amount of factors will decide that such as how the team gels together, how good his game is, and what they want to achieve in the long run. Either way, whether Hardik becomes the captain or not, he's definitely going to be vitally important in shaping what Indian cricket looks like down the road.

While the Indian captain Rohit Sharma is under pressure in the ongoing Australia tour, which India can’t win now and only can draw with their best result, there is another new sensational news that is moving regarding the selection of the Indian T20I captaincy. 

Rohit Sharma led the Indian team to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which was India’s second T20 World Cup title-winning moment. After winning that trophy, he retired from the T20I format. 

See Also: A look back into India's glorious run in 2024

Suryakumar Yadav became the new Indian T20I captain

While Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were both competing to become the next Indian T20I captain, Suryakumar was ultimately chosen as the next Indian T20I captain. 

Although there were some strong controversies about the rift between former Mumbai Indians’ captain Rohit Sharma and new captain Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024, they played together in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 by putting the IPL rifts behind. 

Who was the mastermind of the selection of the new Indian T20I captain?

However, there is some sensational news coming from various media sources. According to these media sources, Hardik Pandya was the initial choice for the next Indian T20I captain. However, the selectors, led by the chairman Ajit Agarkar, were influenced by Rohit Sharma to choose Suryakumar Yadav as the next Indian T20I captain rather than Hardik.

Was there any rift between Rohit and Hardik?

Since the return of Hardik Pandya to the Mumbai Indians squad for the IPL 2024, there have been several rift news between Rohit Sharma and Hardik. While it wasn’t believed to be a big issue before the tournament, it was experienced during the IPL 2024. 

The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians had a poor run in the IPL 2024 season, as they finished in the 10th or last place in the points table. During that tournament, Rohit and Hardik were clearly seen clashing ideas on the field. 

In one video, Hardik tried to hug Rohit from behind, but the former Mumbai Indians captain didn’t like that and seemed to push him away. The rift news was once again fueled up when Rohit was seen with Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma on one side, and Hardik was on the other side with Ishan Kishan. 

Later, Rohit Sharma didn’t deny the rift between him and Hardik in the Mumbai Indians.

After the IPL 2024, Rohit said, "See, it is part of life. Not everything will go your way. It has been a great experience. Before (also), I have not been captain and I have played under a lot of captains. It is no different or new to me." 

India's Star All-Rounder Hardik Pandya will be playing for Baroda in Vijay Hazare Trophy on 28th December. So, it's a good sign for Team India that Hardik Pandya is making his return to the 50-over format ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy in February 2025.

Baroda will be facing Bengal in their 3rd match of the current season. They have won their first two matches comprehensively and will look to continue the winning momentum. And now Hardik's inclusion in the team can make their side stronger.

Hardik Pandya will be playing a 50-over game almost after a year. His last ODI game was against Bangladesh at Pune in ODI World Cup 2023. He was ruled out of the ODI World Cup 2023 due to an ankle injury. Hardik tried to stop Litton Das' straight drive off his bowling and injured his ankle which led him to walk off the field immediately.

Hardik Pandya contributed with the ball in Team India's World Cup Winnings 2024 campaign as he scalped 11 wickets in 8 matches with an average of 17.36.

See Also:- Jasprit Bumrah breaks legendary Indian MCG Test record

Pandya recently played Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he scored 246 runs in 6 innings and managed to pick 6 wickets in 5 innings.

Hardik Pandya has scored 2103 runs and picked up 100 wickets in 107 List A games so far.

Team India will play a 5-match T20I Series and 3-match ODI Series at home against England just before Champions Trophy 2025.

Team India's Champions Trophy Schedule as follows:

20th Feb - India vs Bangladesh

23rd Feb - India vs Pakistan

2nd March - India vs New Zealand

Right before the start of the first T20I game, the viewers became witness to an unusual event in Kinngsmead, Durban. The Indian national anthem reportedly stopped twice due to a possible technical glitch midway during the anthem.

In the first instance, the national anthem stopped and the players were left singing all by themselves. But when the glitch occurred a second time, players including the likes of Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar, and Tilak Varma were left bewildered and their hilarious reaction soon went viral on social media like wildfire.  

Watch the full incident here

Technical issues while playing India national anthem at South Africa #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/zERCrEi3DV

— Mr.Perfect 🗿 (@gotnochills007) November 8, 2024

It was a light moment for the Indian team as the players were seen chuckling around in this video footage. Hardik on one hand could be observed clapping his hands together with a smile on his face while Axar, who was standing next to him was also full of smiles. However, on the contrary, the South African team did not face any such hiccups of this sort when their country's national anthem was played. 

Calm before the storm

Although players shared a light moment before the start of the game, very few could have accurately speculated the carnage that was to follow. Sanju Samson launched a scathing attack on the Proteas bowlers and smashed his second consecutive T20I ton to power India to a commanding first innings total of 202-8. During his scintiliating knock, Samson amassed 107 in 50 balls which included seven fours and a mind-boggling 10 sixes. 

In reply, South Africa were a no-show with the bat and the target proved way beyond their reach as they were bundled out cheaply for only 141. 

See also: Controversial India vs Bangladesh Kanpur Test venue rating revealed