ICC Champions Trophy Semi Finals Betting Preview (2025)

The semi-finals of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. With India refusing to travel to Pakistan, the first of the two semis will be played in Dubai on Tuesday. The destination of the final is yet to be confirmed, as it depends whether India make it.

The second semi will be played in the actual host country with New Zealand and South Africa facing off in Lahore. South Africa haven’t made the final of an ICC 50-over competition since they won the Champions Trophy in 1998.

Australia vs India

India’s win over New Zealand on Sunday ensured a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final in Dubai. The cricket betting markets tab India as clear favourites for this match after winning all three of their group fixtures.

Their decision not to travel to Pakistan has given them an in-built advantage with no travel, the same facilities, and the same conditions, while others have been flying and having to adapt to different surfaces (as is normal in tournament cricket).

Matches in Dubai have been very different from what we have seen in Pakistan. The highest score in India’s three matches was their 249 against New Zealand. After excelling against England before the tournament, Varun Chakravarthy was brought into the team at the weekend and took five wickets (he’s a great bet at 12/5 to be India’s top bowler).

Rust is a bit of a worry for Australia. Steve Smith’s team saw their last two matches rained off after their phenomenal run chase against England. A lower scoring match could work in their favour if conditions are slightly more favourable for their seam bowlers – seamers have had a fair amount of success in Dubai so far, particularly when taking pace off.

Nathan Ellis particularly impressed with his variations against England. At 13/5 to be Australia’s top bowler, he’s an excellent value bet given his knack for deceiving batters and the number of death overs he bowls.

This tournament has seemingly been designed in India’s favour. They have a lot of obvious advantages coming into this one, but there are psychological obstacles to overcome, while Australia are fearless. The underdogs are worth backing at 8/5 to win this match – Smith could be key if it’s a low-scoring match.

New Zealand vs South Africa

Our pre-tournament preview banked on South Africa stepping up. They have done just that, emphatically beating England and Afghanistan, and sharing the spoils with Australia due to a washout.

Their reward is a semi-final matchup with tournament specialists New Zealand. South Africa also had to fly to and from Dubai over the weekend thanks to India’s refusal to play in Pakistan and the absurd schedule this tournament is following as a result.

Despite the unfavourable travel schedule, South Africa are narrow betting favourites for this contest. New Zealand easily beat Bangladesh and Pakistan, but they lost to India on Sunday and were bowled out for 205. Kane Williamson was the only player to score more than 28. Williamson is 21/10 to top score for the Kiwis in this match.

Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, and Heinrich Klaasen have had scores of 50 or more for South Africa across their two batting innings. New Zealand’s batting lineup has fired, too, with Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Will Young, and Tom Latham finding form.

Lahore has seen first-inning scores of 351 and 325. South Africa have an exceptional, well-rounded bowling attack. New Zealand have ridden an excellent tournament from Matt Henry, plus have variation behind him.

It’s still looks set to be a very high-scoring match, and South Africa’s superior firepower should stand them in good stead. The Proteas are a good bet at 4/5 to win the match,

South Africa to win, to hit the most sixes, and most fours at 13/4 is an appealing match treble, too.

*Odds subject to change – prices correct at the time of writing*