ICC Champions Trophy Cricket Betting Tips Preview
Will Jackson
The ICC Champions Trophy returns on Wednesday after eight years, and Graham Hardcastle has the latest cricket betting tips ahead of the game.
England are not in the best of places going into the tournament after a hammering in India but will be hoping for something special in Pakistan, and you can follow our latest cricket tips to keep up with Graham's work.
- ICC Champions Trophy, 50-overs
- Wednesday February 19 - Sunday March 9, 2025
- Pakistan and Dubai
Champions Trophy Cricket Betting Tips
Here are our Champions Trophy cricket betting tips, odds and predictions from our range of cricket betting sites ahead of the game.
Take advantage of our latest deals and prices with the best betting sites and follow the cricket with Graham's tips.
ICC Champions Trophy Preview
It is nearly eight years since the last Champions Trophy, which Pakistan won on English soil. In mid-June 2017, they beat India in the final at the Oval.
Now they play host to an eight-team event, for which India and reigning world champions Australia lead the betting.
Cards on the table early doors, I can’t see beyond India. They have just blown England away 3-0 in a warm-up series without even breaking a sweat. They were hardly tested.
They are 7/4 with SportingIndex, amongst others, to triumph.
Competition Format
Let’s just have a quick look at the format for this three-and-a-half week event.
The eight teams are split into two groups of four, playing three matches each. The top two teams in each will advance to the semi-finals before a final.
The groups are - Group A: Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan. Group B - Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa.
India will play all of their matches in Dubai due to the ongoing political situation between their country and Pakistan.
One of the semi-finals will be played in Dubai, the other in Lahore. If India reach the final, that will be played in Dubai. If not, Lahore will host it.
Proteas can disrupt the establishment in Group B
I expect India to win Group A, but I wouldn’t be taking them outright at 4/7. There’s no value there.
However, I see significant value in South Africa to win Group B at 13/5 with Star Sports.
Australia and England are ahead of them in the betting, but I have concerns about both.
England have lost their last four ODI series against West Indies twice, Australia and India having crashed out of the 2023 World Cup in India late that year.
Australia are missing some key fast-bowling personnel in Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc due to injury and personal reasons respectively. And despite them losing 2-0 in Sri Lanka last week, to a team who hasn’t qualified for this competition, I see them as having a better chance than England. But South Africa look strong to me.
They may not have had the best recent ODI record, including a 3-0 defeat against Pakistan late last year and one win from two matches in a tri-series with New Zealand and Pakistan which concluded on Friday.
But the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram didn’t feature in the tri-series because of SA20 duties, and someone like a Heinrich Klaasen only played one match.
South Africa reached the final of last year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, beaten by India.
With that in mind, I would be keen to take betway’s 3/1 on South Africa to reach the final, and why not have a dip at the Group winners double as well?
BetGoodwin have the India and South Africa group winners double available at 4.65/1.
England to struggle again but Root to shine
You may have deduced from the previous section that I don’t think England will qualify for the semi-finals. I see South Africa and Australia qualifying from Group B.
India should win Group A, but the fight for second place is fascinating. I don’t fancy Bangladesh, and it’s a toss up between Pakistan and New Zealand for the second spot.
Both of those teams have to split their time between Pakistan and Dubai during the group stages, which isn’t ideal. India are the only one of the four teams in that group who can stay in one spot all the way through the tournament. Surprise, surprise!!
Anyway, let’s have a look at some top individual performers, the majority of which come via SportingIndex.
I won’t be looking past Shubman Gill to top-score for India, available at 11/4 with SportingIndex. He was outstanding in that ODI series against England, posting scores of 87, 60 and 112. The opener looks to be hitting form at just the right time.
Joe Root at 11/4 to lead the way with the bat for England - with the same firm - is enticing. He just looks a class apart in a struggling side.
They have New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry at 3/1 to be his side’s top bowler in the tournament. Henry has made a stunning start to the year in ODI cricket, taking 14 wickets in five matches. That has included a pair of four-wicket hauls at home against Sri Lanka and a three-for against Pakistan in Lahore.
And continuing with SportingIndex, Aiden Markram at 6/1 looks decent value to be South Africa’s leading tournament run-scorer. He’s likely to bat at four and has a steady ODI record of three hundreds and 11 fifties in 74 career ODIs.
He top-scored with 340 runs for beaten finalists Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, scoring three fifties. He captained them, incidentally.
Markram has never actually played an ODI in Pakistan, but five of his top 10 50-over international scores have come in Asia, be it India, Sri Lanka or Sharjah.
BetVictor’s 15/2 on India’s Gill to be the leading run-scorer in the tournament is something I will not be looking past. We have already spoken about his form against India, and this young right-hander just oozes quality.
I will finish this ODI betting tips preview with a 33/1 shot on Henry to be the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, available via PaddyPower.
ICC Champions Trophy Outright Odds
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ICC Champions Trophy Betting Offers
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