'They can surprise everyone' - Parthiv Patel names his dark horse, potential semi-finalists for Champions Trophy 2025

Parthiv Patel picked Afghanistan as the dark horse in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy 2025. The Blue Tigers are going to make their debut in the prestigious global event which begins on February 19 in Karachi.

Afghanistan are placed in Group B alongside Australia, South Africa, and England. The Asian side is going to kick-start their campaign on February 21, when they take on inaugural champions South Africa at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Afghanistan have fared well in ICC events of late. In the ODI World Cup in 2023, they registered wins against defending champions England, and former champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka. They followed it up with a stellar performance in the T20 World Cup last year. Under Rashid Khan's leadership, Afghanistan made it to the semifinals of a World Cup for the first time.

Hence, keeping their recent performances in mind, Patel picked them as a dark horse for the upcoming event as he predicted his four semi-finalists. He also feels that Afghanistan will surprise a few teams in the tournament.

“There'll be India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Australia just given the record in the ICC trophies. But my dark horse is Afghanistan. They've got they've played really good cricket in 50-over format. It was just that Glenn Maxwell’s innings otherwise I think they were right there in the race to reach semifinals. So you know Afghanistan could come in and surprise all other teams,” said Patel on Star Sports.

Kevin Pietersen predicts semi-finalists

England legend Kevin Pietersen also named his four semi-finalists for the Champions Trophy. With Mitchell Starc pulling out of the tournament and several big names missing due to injuries, Pietersen didn't keep Australia among his picks.

Also Read: Dhoni's calmness was his strength, Kohli's intensity changed Indian cricket: Shikhar Dhawan

“I mean, this is so hard. It really is. But with Mitchell Starc pulling out today, I'm gonna say India, Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand,” said Pietersen.