The Pakistan cricket team’s disappointing run in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has sparked strong opinions across the cricketing world. The team, led by Mohammad Rizwan, failed to register a single win in the tournament despite playing on home soil, crashing out in the group stage. This poor performance led Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar to claim that even India’s B team could defeat Pakistan. However, former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie has strongly disagreed with this assertion.

Gillespie brands Gavaskar’s comments ‘absolute nonsense’

Responding to Gavaskar’s remarks, Gillespie dismissed the notion that India’s second-string squad could beat Pakistan. He defended the team’s potential, emphasizing the importance of continuity and player development.

“I don’t buy this rhetoric. I saw some comments from Sunil Gavaskar about the Indian B team or Indian C team would beat the Pakistan top team. That’s nonsense. Absolute nonsense. If Pakistan pick and stick with the right players and give them time to shine and, time to learn and develop their games, they can beat anyone. I’ve got no doubt about that,” said Gillespie.

Gavaskar stands by his claim

In contrast, Gavaskar had earlier expressed confidence that India’s B team could comfortably beat Pakistan in their current form, though he was less certain about the C team.

“I think a B team (from India) certainly (can give Pakistan a run for their money). C team, I am not too sure. But a B team will be very, very hard to beat for Pakistan in their current form,” said Gavaskar.

More changes expected in Pakistan cricket

Pakistan cricket has seen frequent changes in recent years, from captaincy shuffles to selection panel overhauls and board restructuring. The latest failure at the Champions Trophy is likely to trigger another round of changes as the team struggles to regain its lost form.

The much-anticipated Entertainers Cricket League (ECL) 2025 Season 2 is set to bring an electrifying mix of cricket and entertainment, featuring popular YouTubers and influencers. With an expanded lineup of eight teams and a T10 format, the tournament promises high-energy clashes. Defending champions Haryanvi Hunters, led by Elvish Yadav, will compete against seven rival teams for the coveted title.

Teams Participating in ECL 2025 Season 2

The second season of Entertainers Cricket League will feature eight teams, increasing from the six teams in the previous edition:

• Haryanvi Hunters (Elvish Yadav)
• Bangalore Bashers (Abhishek Malhan)
• Dynamic Delhi (Gaurav Taneja)
• Rajasthan Rangers (Zayn Saifi)
• Lucknow Lions (Anurag Dwivedi)
• Kolkata Superstars (Pushkar Raj Thakur)
• Mumbai Disruptors (Munawar Faruqui)
• Chennai Smashers (Mahesh Nain)

Where and When Will ECL 2025 Season 2 Be Played?

The Indira Gandhi Indoor Cricket Stadium in Delhi will host ECL 2025 Season 2 from March 5 to March 16, 2025.

Where to Watch Entertainers Cricket League 2025 Season 2?

Live Streaming:

• Available on ECL YouTube Channel
• Waves OTT Platform
• JioTV OTT Application

Live TV Broadcast:

• Sony Sports 5 & Sony Sports 5 HD

ECL 2025 Season 2 Full Schedule

ECL 2025 Season 2 Squads

Bangalore Bashers:

Abhishek Malhan (C), Tanush Sethi, Zala Vanrajsinh, Vivek Arya, Mayur Mehta, Kashish Pundir, Rajat Sharma, Gurnoor Singh, Dhruv Shah, Yuvraj Porwal, Ankit Kumar, Rishabh Yadav, Tomar Saheb, Zala Hardev Singh, Aashirwad Chaudhary, Rashid Salmani, Adarsh, Anuj Khurana, Ketan Patel.

Chennai Smashers:

Mahesh Keshwala, Rahul Bisht, Love Kataria, Shubham Matta, Mahender Tanwar, Ankit Nagar, Taran Singh, Lakshay Kaushik, Aayush Sapra, Shravan Kshirsagar, Pankaj Sharma, Mohit Gupta, Nadeem, Abhishek Goel, Eshaan Duggal, Arun Meshetty, Abhishek Kapur, Shashwat Arvind, Yash, Gulshan Nain, Nishaant Williams.

Dynamic Delhi:

Gaurav Taneja (C), Sonu Sharma, Karan Pandey, Nitin Chandila, Rohit Singhania, Sarthak Sachdeva, Mohd Asif, Anirudh Sharma, Sunny Nagar, Mohd Irfan Naik, Harsh Singh, Rahul Jakhad.

Kolkata Superstars:

Pushkar Raj Thakur (C), Rahul Garg, Nikhil Badeja, Shadab Saeed Khan, Adnan Sheikh, Apoorva Tiwari, Sunny Karla, Lakshay Singh, Anant, Bobby Chourasiya, Rachit Sehrawat, Afzal Hussain, Bikash Chetry, Sunny Chourasiya, Karan Kaushal, Anuj Nagar, Manish Sharma, Faisal Farooq, Nitin Saini, Ankul Yadav.

Lucknow Lions:

Anurag Dwivedi (C), Deepak Meena, Kartik Sharma, Shivam Singh Rajput, Mohd Amir, Alpha Singh, Rachit Rojha, Nazim Ahmed, Ubaid Khan, Om Chouksey, Ashish Meena, Zia Kamal, Anas Siddique, Anubhav Dubey, Bobby Yadav, Harpal Saikia, Vikash Singh, Sitaram Jat, Balram Mandal, Manohar Kumar Bhat, Akash Yadav.

Haryanvi Hunters:

Elvish Yadav (C), Rohit Lamba, Rubal Dhankar, Vishal Choudhary, Ramesh Kumar Katewa, Peeyush Sharma, Jadeja Rajpal, Daksha Jain, Vinay Yadav, Keshav Chaudhary, Mohd Anas, Anoop Chahal, Nayan Shelke, Guruveer Vlogs, Rajat Dalal, Lalit Yadav, Saurav Shishodia, Robin Agrawal, Mokesh Murgai, Rishi KR Agrawal.

As the cricketing world gears up for the Champions Trophy 2025 final, New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has acknowledged that the Dubai International Stadium pitch remains an unknown element ahead of the crucial match against India. The highly anticipated final is set to take place on Sunday, March 10, where both teams will battle for ICC supremacy.

India has played all four of its matches at Dubai International Stadium, while New Zealand has played mostly in Pakistan, with just one group-stage game in Dubai. This has led to speculation that India might have an edge due to their familiarity with the venue.

However, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has dismissed such claims, stating,

“There’s no undue advantage in India playing in Dubai. This venue is as neutral for us as it is for the others. We haven’t even practised once at this ground as of now. We practised at the ICC Academy.”

New Zealand’s star performer, Rachin Ravindra, has reinforced the uncertainty surrounding the pitch conditions at Dubai. Speaking after New Zealand’s semi-final victory against South Africa, Ravindra said:

“We don’t quite know what the Dubai pitch is. We saw in our (group) game against India the ball turning, but the other day, it didn’t turn so much. We found ourselves adapting and playing according to situations, which we will need to do on Sunday again.”

The left-handed batter, who scored a sensational 108-run knock in the semi-final against South Africa, emphasized that adaptability will be key.

“We will see in the next couple of days and hopefully it’s a good cricket wicket,” he added.

Rachin Ravindra has been a standout player for New Zealand, contributing significantly with both bat and ball. In the semi-final against South Africa, he not only set the platform for a 362-run total with his century but also delivered an economical bowling spell, conceding just 20 runs in 5 overs while picking up one wicket.

With the final set to be a battle of adaptability, both teams will have to assess the pitch conditions quickly and adjust their strategies accordingly. New Zealand will be eager to lift the Champions Trophy, while India will be determined to capitalize on their consistent run in Dubai.

The Champions Trophy 2025 final promises to be an exciting showdown, with all eyes on how the teams handle the ‘unknown’ pitch in Dubai.