Understanding the ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is an international one-day cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was first held in 1998 and has been hosted every four years since then. The tournament features the top eight teams from the ICC One-Day International (ODI) rankings, with the winner receiving a significant amount of prize money.
History of the ICC Champions Trophy
The first ICC Champions Trophy was held in 1998 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, England. The tournament was won by Australia, who defeated West Indies in the final by 25 runs. Since then, the tournament has been played eight times, with Pakistan winning it twice and Sri Lanka once.
| Year | Host Country | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | England | Australia |
| 2000 | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
| 2002 | England and Wales | Australia |
Tournament Format
The ICC Champions Trophy is played in a round-robin format, where the eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four. Each team plays six matches within their group, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the knockout stage. The knockout stage consists of semi-finals and the final.
- The winner of each match earns 2 points
- In case of a tie, the team with the higher net run rate progresses to the next stage
- In case of a tied net run rate, the team that scored more runs in their innings qualifies for the next stage
The India Champions Trophy
India has been one of the most successful teams in the ICC Champions Trophy, winning it twice in 2002 and 2013. They have also been runners-up thrice.