The Champions Trophy 2025 has been plagued by a lack of spectators, with the India vs. Bangladesh match in Dubai displaying notably empty stands. This follows criticism after the inaugural match between Pakistan and New Zealand also suffered from poor attendance. Commentators expressed surprise at the empty seats, and social media was flooded with images highlighting the lack of fans. Lalit Modi, former IPL chairman, took to social media to question the relevance of One-Day Cricket, suggesting it may be time to favor Test cricket instead. Bangladesh opted to bat first after winning the toss, with notable changes to the Indian lineup.
The absence of fans continued to plague the Champions Trophy 2025, as the match between India and Bangladesh in Dubai showcased a staggering amount of empty seats on Thursday. Criticism arose following the scant attendance during the tournament opener between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi, but the situation did not improve in the second game either. Commentators were astonished by the minimal crowd present at the venue, and social media was flooded with images highlighting the vacant stands, with only a few sections appearing full. Lalit Modi, the inaugural chairman of the Indian Premier League, took to social media to share his thoughts and pondered whether it was time to reconsider the One-Day Cricket format.
“Watching the @ICC champions trophy cricket match between #india and #bangladesh. Stands are empty. That would not happen at an #ipl game. Is the one day format becoming irrelevant to the fans? What’s your view? Should one day cricket be scrapped and more test cricket?” he posted on X.
Watching the @ICC champions trophy cricket match between #india and #bangladesh. Stands are empty. That would not happen at an #ipl game. Is the one day format becoming irrelevant to the fans? What’s your view? Should one day cricket be scrapped and more test cricket? #भारत…
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) February 20, 2025
In the match, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to bat first against India in their Champions Trophy opener on Thursday.
India made two changes from their previous ODI against England earlier this month, including Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja in place of Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Bangladesh fielded three seamers and two spinners, opting for Tanzim Hasan over the highly discussed Nahid Rana in the pace lineup.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
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