New Delhi: India and Australia are set to clash in the first semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai. What are the playing conditions for the semifinals? What happens if rain interrupts the match? Is there a reserve day in place? Here’s everything you need to know.
Three matches in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy have been affected by rain. During the group stage, teams were awarded one point each after rain forced the matches to be abandoned. If a similar situation occurs in the semifinals, a reserve day has been scheduled for both semifinal matches and the final.
The India vs Australia semifinal is set to take place in Dubai, where the chances of rain disrupting the match are very low. However, if rain does intervene, every effort will be made to complete the match on the same day. If that is not possible, play will resume on the reserve day from the point where it was stopped. If the match cannot be completed even on the reserve day, the team that finished higher in the group stage standings will qualify for the final.
Additionally, in knockout matches, the team batting second must have played at least 25 overs for the result to be determined using the DLS method. There is a chance of rain in Lahore, where the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand is set to take place.
If both semifinals are washed out, India and South Africa will advance to the final. If the final is also washed out, the trophy will be shared. Notably, in the history of the tournament, the Champions Trophy has been shared only once in eight editions. This occurred in 2002 when the final between India and Sri Lanka was washed out twice, including on the reserve day. However, under the playing conditions at that time, the match was replayed from the beginning on the reserve day.
On both days, Sri Lanka batted first and completed their full 50 overs, but rain prevented India’s innings from progressing beyond the 10-over mark on both occasions.
