Fun Facts About the ICC Champions Trophy

The ICC Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious tournaments in international cricket. Since its inception, it has provided cricket fans with some of the most memorable moments in the sport’s history. While the tournament has evolved over time, it continues to be a platform where the world’s top teams compete for supremacy.

Interesting and lesser-known facts about the Champions Trophy

• The Champions Trophy started as the ICC Knockout Cup in 1998. The first two editions were played under this name. In 2002, it was renamed the ICC Champions Trophy, becoming one of cricket’s top tournaments.
• Since its beginning, 13 teams have played in the Champions Trophy, including lesser-known teams like Kenya and USA. The 2025 edition will welcome a new team, as Afghanistan will play in the tournament for the first time.
• Both India and Australia have won the Champions Trophy twice. However, India’s second win in 2002 was shared with Sri Lanka due to rain disrupting the final.
• Australia is the only team to defend its Champions Trophy title successfully. They won the tournament in 2006 and repeated their victory in 2009.
• Despite being strong in earlier editions, Australia has not won a single match in the Champions Trophy since 2009. They have played six matches, losing three, while the other three were abandoned due to rain.
• The first-ever Champions Trophy in 1998 was won by South Africa. This remains the only ICC trophy won by their senior men’s team.
• New Zealand won the Champions Trophy in 2000, marking their first ICC trophy. The only other ICC trophy they have won is the World Test Championship in 2021.
• The 2009 Champions Trophy was the first ICC tournament to use the Decision Review System (DRS). It helped umpires make better LBW decisions and improved the fairness of the game.
• The record for the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history belongs to Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan who scored 177 Runs against England in the 2025 edition.
• In the same match where Nathan Astle scored 145, New Zealand made 347/4, which remains the highest team total in Champions Trophy history.
• The best bowling performance in a Champions Trophy match belongs to Sri Lanka’s Farvez Maharoof. He took 6 wickets for just 14 runs against West Indies in 2006.
• The player with the most runs in Champions Trophy history is Chris Gayle from West Indies. He scored a total of 791 runs in the tournament.
• The record for the most wickets in Champions Trophy history is held by New Zealand’s Kyle Mills, who took 28 wickets. Interestingly, no Indian player or active cricketer is in the top 10 wicket-takers list.