ICC Champions Trophy 2017 – Can the home favourites come out on top?

The ICC Champions Trophy gets underway tomorrow as England take on Bangladesh at the Kia Oval. Here at Challenge Trophies, we thought we would give you a quick guide to the Tournament so you can follow the action over the coming weeks!

What is the Champions Trophy?

The tournament is held around every 2 years, comprising of the top 8 teams in the ICC ODI championship rankings. It will be the 8th edition of the tournament this year and for the first time since 2006 Bangladesh have made their return, more surprisingly however, the West Indies failed to qualify for the trophy for the first time in history. The format is as follows; the 8 teams are split into two groups, Group A (England, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh) Group B (India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka), playing a round robin and top 2 sides from each group then progress to knockout stages.

Who will win it?

Given the fact it is just the top 8 ODI sides in the world, the standard is exceptionally high and any 1 of 6 or 7 teams could emerge as victors. However the early favourites with the bookmakers are the hosts England with Australia and the current holders India close behind. England come into the Trophy in fine form, winning 4 out of their last 5 games, with stars such as Stokes and Butler returning from impressive spells in the IPL, whilst the rest of the squad have been preparing with fixtures against Ireland and South Africa.

Where can I watch the matches?

All of the the games will be broadcast on Sky Sports 2 in the UK, with daily highlights also being shown on terrestrial BBC Two.

Which team are you backing for the Champions Trophy? Do you think England have the firepower to win on home soil? Tell us in the comments section, or chat to us on Facebook or Twitter.