History of ICC Champions Trophy

March 6, 2025

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Seize the Crease, Conquer the Crowd: History of ICC Champions Trophy

‘Cricket is a love affair with the soul.’

Often touted as the unofficial but most widely followed sport in the country, Cricket is such a game that one gets to learn something from someone every day. Even on tough days, a single shot can turn things around.

BCCI, PCB, ICC Champions Trophy, ODI

Together a team strikes, together a team shines. After all, champions are meant to break boundaries do not bat. The sport of modern cricket is said to have found its inception in Lords, Great Britain and since then, this gentleman’s game has not looked back.

ORIGIN:

Originally known as the ‘ICC Knockout’ when it was staged in 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh followed by the event being held in 2000 in the capital city of Nairobi in Kenya. The tournament was subsequently rechristened as the ICC Champions Trophy.

From its inception in 1998 to 2006, the tournament was played every two years. The tournament was also originally scheduled in Pakistan from September 11 to 28, 2008, but due to the security fears expressed by several participating countries, it was held in 2009 in South Africa. An international tournament that was contested by the top cricketing nations globally, was hosted by the ICC periodically until it was discontinued after the 2017 edition.

The ICC had confirmed that would introduce the World Test Championship (WTC) from 2017 onwards and the main objective behind its decision to scrap the Champions Trophy was to have one pinnacle tournament for each of the three formats over four years. Post this timing, the event was moved to a four-year cycle with 2025 edition being the latest one till date.

The ICC conceived the noble idea of the Champions Trophy – a short cricket tournament to raise funds for the development of the game in non-test playing countries, a move which was highly appreciated by nations and boards at the time. It can be compared to FIFA Confederations Cup in football.

In the last tournament played in 2017, Pakistan stunned the cricketing world by defeating India in the final to claim their first-ever Champions Trophy title. India, regarded as the land of cricket has been successful in clinching this title twice, in 2002 (Co-champions with Sri Lanka) and in 2013 (defeating England) marking their second ICC Champions Trophy title.

FORMAT:

The Champions Trophy differs from the World Cup in certain ways. The matches in the Champions Trophy are held over a period of around two weeks, while the World Cup usually expands for over a month.

Also, the number of teams in the Champions Trophy are fewer than the World Cup, with the latest edition of the 2023 ODI World Cup being organised with 10 teams whereas the 2025 Champions Trophy will feature the top 8 teams only. This celebrated tournament features the top eight teams of the ICC one-day rankings. However, from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy onwards, the top eight teams of the most recent ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will qualify for the event to participate in it.

BCCI, PCB, ICC Champions Trophy, ODI

The first round comprises two groups of four with the top two in each group progressing to the semi-finals and the winners contesting the final. The event is short, sharp and highly competitive.

My Perspective:

Although the tournament faced a sabbatical for few years due to multiple ongoing ICC events every year, the ICC Champions Trophy provided a thrilling platform for many top-tier nations to showcase their competence and skills in a high-profile limited-overs format.

The last edition in 2017 remains significant to date as it was an unlikely victory for Pakistan, who beat India by 180 runs in the final – a bitter pill to swallow for Indian fans across the world. The Champions Trophy played a crucial role in the sport’s history, particularly for its role in the early 2000s and the nail-biting moments it delivered.

The good news is that this mega spectacle is all set to be held now once in four years, and the 2029 edition will be hosted by none other than our country ‘s cricketing fraternity– the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). It has been reinstated as an ICC event since 2025 onwards, with a revamped visual identity and a new logo to entice the fans all across.

With the rising popularity of T20 as a format and the objective to revive the lost glory of Test cricket, it seems that ODI cricket as a genre is getting overlooked. This is evident from the fact that India played only three ODIs in 2024.

Hence, bringing back the Champions Trophy back to the forefront could boost the revival of the 50-over format.