India defeated New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai on Sunday.
The Indian cricketers, led by Rohit Sharma, have taken a quiet trip home after winning the Champions Trophy in Dubai. After leading India to their second ICC title in nine months, Rohit Sharma returned to Mumbai on Monday night.
While there is no confirmation, that the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) season begins on March 22, therefore there would almost certainly be no bus procession celebration for the Champions Trophy winners. The players have limited time to relax before they resume competitive cricket.
As a result, players left Dubai for separate destinations. On Monday (10 March), Team India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, arrived at Delhi's IGI Airport, while skipper Rohit Sharma arrived at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Hardik Pandya came to Mumbai on Monday and was greeted with loud shouts.
The squad members have a week off before joining their respective IPL teams for the competition, which begins on March 22.
"All the players with families left from Dubai on Monday. Some players have stayed back for a couple of days," a BCCI source told PTI.
With players choosing to recuperate ahead of the two-month-long IPL, the BCCI did not arrange a team felicitation, as it did when the group returned from Barbados after winning the T20 World Cup. The players also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they returned from Barbados on a special jet in July 2024.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir and pacer Harshit Rana arrived in Delhi on Monday night. Superstar Virat Kohli left the team hotel with his wife Anushka Sharma shortly after the squad returned from the Dubai International Stadium late Sunday night.
Shreyas Iyer, who played an important part in the middle order, will skip the Punjab Kings and join the club on March 16. India defeated New Zealand by four wickets to claim their third Champions Trophy. They were the only unbeaten team in the eight-team competition.
Although Pakistan hosted the tournament, India played all of its games in Dubai, following the agreed-upon hybrid concept.
(PTI inputs)