ICC Champions Trophy: Top players ruled out due to injuries

The sky-rocketing excitement for the Champions Trophy, returning after eight years, has been subject to consistent setbacks. The marquee event is the first tournament in the format since the ODI World Cup of 2023. With only the top eight teams in contention for the title, the tournament is as short as it is competitive. However, as the ICC Champions Trophy nears its inception, almost all the teams in the running have been hit by injury concerns. With the sheer number of absentees named so far, it's safe to say that a separate Playing XI could be conjured from the players missing out. India and Australia, the 2023 World Cup finalists, meanwhile, have been hit the most severely, with both teams landing in a deep puddle with respect to their pace departments.

Top players ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to injuries

The number of absentees from the ICC Champions Trophy has charted up shockingly fast. While Josh Hazlewood and Gerald Coetzee were few of the earlier ones, major blow arrived by February 12 when the teams had to finalize their squad for the event. The deadline witnessed the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, and Allah Ghazanfar confirmed as the absentees.

Jasprit Bumrah - India

All Indian hopes and prayers fell on deaf ears when it was finally confirmed that their pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, would miss out on the tournament. The star performer in India's otherwise dismal Border Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah picked up a back injury during the Sydney Test, the last fixture. While uncertainty loomed over his condition for over a month, the bowler was ruled out of the India squad on February 12, the last day to finalize squads for the ICC event. Bumrah fared spectacularly in BGT, emerging as the highest wicket-taker with 36 scalps to his name. 

However, consistently prolonged spells across the five matches overburdened his workload down under. With his bowling action being particularly taxing on his body, Bumrah experienced a back spasm in Sydney. While he sought rest for the entirety of the white-ball series against England at home, Bumrah failed to recover in time, with the Indian management fittingly opting against rushing him back into action.

In his absence, the Indian pace attack now includes the three-match-old Harshit Rana, T20I sensation Arshdeep Singh, who has played only eight ODIs in his career so far, and Mohammed Shami, who is on a comeback trail after observing a year-long hiatus due to an ankle injury. While India eyes completing what they missed out on in the 2023 ODI World Cup, the situation currently seems dicey with their match-winner ruled out of the championship.

Pat Cummins - Australia

Australia has suffered the most damage when gauged in terms of absentees from their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. While Josh Hazlewood showed signs of being unfit during the Border Gavaskar Trophy itself, a huge blow came with the unavailability of their skipper, Pat Cummins. With Hazlewood and Cameron Green already out of the picture, Australia had already missed out on fielding their "Big 3" in the tournament. As it stands now, none of their big three, namely Hazlewood, Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, are available for the ICC event.

The skipper impressed in the BGT, where his team finally reclaimed the trophy after a decade. However, following the series, Cummins picked up an ankle injury, forcing him out of the marquee event. Now, Australia will play with a completely new pace attack, with Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis all unavailable for one reason or another. While Cummins and Hazlewood are out due to injuries, Starc opted out of the ICC Champions Trophy due to personal reasons on February 12. In their absence, Australia has named Spencer Johnson, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, and Ben Dwarshuis in their attack.

Anrich Nortje - South Africa

South Africa has also taken a hit on their pace attack, falling in line with India and Australia. While the side coped with the injury of Gerald Coetzee, who was not named in the provisional squad due to a hamstring issue, their latest blow came in the form of Anrich Nortje. The speedster has been out of action since the end of 2024 due to persistent back issues. South Africa, meanwhile, has named the 30-year-old Corbin Bosch as a replacement after Coetzee failed to return due to a groin injury, despite successfully recovering from the hamstring issue.

Saim Ayub - Pakistan

The hosts suffered a significant setback in their campaign as defending champions when their in-form opener, Saim Ayub, injured himself on the South Africa tour. Playing in the Test against South Africa, Saim Ayub fractured his ankle while fielding. Though initially hopeful for a return in time for the Champions Trophy, his participation hopes were dashed when the injury turned out to be a fracture. The defending champions, meanwhile, announced their provisional squad without their brightest prospect and have stuck to it, as no changes were observed on February 12.

Allah Ghazanfar - Afghanistan

Afghanistan joined the injury party when their young but impactful spin prospect, Allah Ghazanfar, was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy. The spinner fractured his L4 vertebra while on the Zimbabwe tour. The injury, unfortunately, could cost him his debut in the IPL as well, where he was picked by Mumbai Indians for 4.8 crores in the IPL 2025 mega auction.