Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

The 9th match will be the first dead rubber of the 2025 Champions Trophy (CT) between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Both sides lost their respective games against New Zealand and India and are out of the semi-finals race. This match will be played at Rawalpindi where the last game was washed out and there’s a rain threat in this game as well.

Pakistan lost their first game against New Zealand by 60 runs, followed by a six-wicket defeat against India. The Pakistan batters have been abysmal in the first two games and that’s the main reason for their poor performance. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Tayyab Tahir have failed miserably in this tournament.

Saud Shakeel scored a fifty against India but he was in poor form before that. Their bowlers, especially the pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, have been ineffective with the ball. Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah and Salman Agha have been the in-form players for them.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, lost their first game against India by six wickets followed by a five-wicket defeat against the Kiwis. Their batters have also failed to get going this tournament but their bowlers have been quite better than their Pakistani counterparts.

Taskin Ahmed, Jaker Ali and Rishad Hossain have done well for them. They need consistency with the bat if they are to win this game. The senior batters in Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah will have to step up and take responsibility in this match.

Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have struggled with the bat but Pakistan’s bowling has been below average as well. It should be a good game of cricket as both sides will be eyeing a win to end their campaign.

CT 2025 9th Match: PAK vs BAN Probable Playing XIs

Usman Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Kamran Ghulam may feature in the XI for this game.

Pakistan: 1. Usman Khan, 2. Babar Azam, 3. Saud Shakeel, 4. Kamran Ghulam, 5. Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), 6. Salman Agha, 7. Khushdil Shah, 8. Faheem Ashraf/Naseem Shah, 9. Shaheen Afridi, 10. Haris Rauf, 11. Abrar Ahmed

Bangladesh may also give a chance to their bench in this match.

Bangladesh: 1. Tanzid Hasan/Parvez Hossain Emon, 2. Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), 3. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 4. Towhid Hridoy, 5. Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6. Mahmudullah, 7. Jaker Ali, 8. Rishad Hossain, 9. Taskin Ahmed, 10. Nahid Rana, Mustafizur 11. Rahman/Nasum Ahmed

Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Pitch Report and Weather

The pitch looked like a good one for batting in the first game at Rawalpindi between Bangladesh and New Zealand. The batters can play their shots trusting the wicket and there was assistance for the spinners as well. The pacers got good movement with the new ball in the second innings. It should be a good wicket to bat on in this match.

Rain is on the forecast during the match time and we may see a rain-interrupted game if not another washed-out match.

Fantasy Cricket Tips for PAK vs BAN: Players to Watch/Key Stats

Note: Try to pick more batters and all-rounders if you are playing on Dream11. The new point system rewards the batters heavily.

Top Wicket-Keeper Picks:

• Mohammad Rizwan scored 46 runs in the last game. He hasn’t been in the best of form, but he will keep wickets and be a key batter for his side in the middle order. He averages 57.70 against Bangladesh for his 173 runs in five innings, including two fifties.
• Jaker Ali has scores of 45 and 68 in the last two matches. He’s been the in-form player for his side in the lower order. He likes to bat aggressively and has been in good form as well. 

Key batter picks:

• Babar Azam looked in decent touch in the last game against India. He played a couple of good shots. He is searching for runs and will be eager to do well in this game. Babar against Bangladesh: 123 runs in four ODIs at an average of 30.80 including a fifty.
• Saud Shakeel scored 62 runs against India. He will bat in the top three and looked in decent touch in the last match.
• Najmul Hossain Shanto will be a key batter for his team. He scored 77 runs in the last game against New Zealand. Shanto likes to take his time initially and then capitalise on the start.

Top all-rounder picks:

• Rishad Hossain has 44 runs and three wickets in two matches so far. He will be the lead spinner for Bangladesh and he’s handy with the bat as well. Rishad can trouble Pakistan’s middle order. 
• Khushdil Shah scored 69 runs in the first game against the Kiwis followed by 38 runs and a wicket against India. He’s one of the in-form players for Pakistan and will be a must in your fantasy teams.

Key bowler picks:

• Shaheen Afridi has 12 wickets against Bangladesh in four ODIs including a 5-fer. He can trouble Bangladesh’s top order initially with the new ball. Shaheen picked up two wickets in the last game. Try him as C/VC while bowling first.
• Haris Rauf has six wickets in just two matches against Bangladesh. He will be an important bowler for his side in the middle and death phases. Rauf will be a top fantasy pick.
• Naseem Shah has picked up three wickets in his only ODI against Bangladesh. He swings the new ball both ways and can pick up 2-3 wickets easily on his day.
• Taskin Ahmed picked up a wicket in the last game. He was excellent with the new ball. Taskin can trouble Pakistan’s struggling top order, especially while bowling second under the lights.

Other Players to Consider for your Fantasy Cricket Team

• Agha Salman is in good form lately but he’ll bat too low from fantasy POV. He may bowl an over or two of his off-spin. He scored 42 runs in the first game and 19 in the last one.
• Abrar Ahmed picked up a wicket in the last match. He can trouble Bangladesh’s out-of-form middle-order with his variations. Abrar has two wickets in two games so far in the tournament. 

Other Matchups and Facts

• Head to Head (ODIs): Pakistan (34), Bangladesh (5) 
• Nahid Rana has dismissed Babar Azam twice in 24 deliveries for 13 runs in Test cricket. He can trouble him in this game as well.
• Mohammad Rizwan needs 28 runs to complete 2600 runs in ODI cricket.

CT 2025 9th Match: PAK vs BAN Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

CT 2025 9th Match: PAK vs BAN Match Prediction: Who will win?

Both teams have failed to get going with the bat in the tournament so far. Bangladesh’s bowling, especially the pace attack looks in good form compared to Pakistan. Despite that, Pakistan is expected to win this game but it’s not going to be an easy task at all.