The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently launched its “All On The Line” campaign for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, and we must add that it held quite the drama. Was it a new Mission Impossible trailer or a Cricket Tournament Trailer?
The promo featured Pakistan’s Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, India’s Hardik Pandya, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, and England’s Phil Salt, all trying to ‘steal’ the trophy in a Mission Impossible-esque setting.
Mission Impossible Meets Cricket: Inside the Promo
The trailer began with Shadab cautiously lowering Shaheen headfirst towards the trophy – Ethan Hunt style in a high-security vault.
The scene shifts to Hardik Pandya who tosses the ball in the air and gets sliced into two; exposing an array of lasers and motion sensors. “Can you do this Hardik?” asks a voice through the receiver in his ear, which according to the comment section of the video, many fans believe to be the voice of Virat Kohli. Pandya then displays some comical and Bollywood-style stunts, many viewers called him ‘Kung Fu Pandya.’ It’s a Hollywood setting with Bollywood’s desi tadka.
Mohammad Nabi drills himself in the vault, whereas Phil Salt materialises out of thin air (yes, we were as shocked as you are). Upon seeing each other, all four rush forward to grab the trophy.
Mixed Reactions and Fan Criticism
The teaser got a lot of mixed reviews as many pointed out that it felt like only India and Pakistan would participate in the tournament since in the teaser both teams solely got the screentime of 50 seconds. In contrast, Salt and Nabi showed up on the screen at the end comprising their screen time of about 10 seconds. It also got significant backlash when fans noticed that Hardik Pandya’s appearance looked like it was filmed against a green screen and given India’s previous record of using its power to influence ICC’s decisions—like shifting their matches to UAE instead of Pakistan and objecting to Pakistan’s name on the Champions Trophy Kit—it is not a big surprise that Hardik didn’t attend the shoot in person. The promo itself felt irrelevant in terms of showcasing a cricket tournament, instead, it felt like a heist in an action-packed film.
People also pointed out the Australian Captain in the comment section, acknowledging Australia being the only team to triumph, the Champions Trophy twice. There was a rush of praise towards the trailer as people denoted the campaign to be different from ICC’s previous ads and how this was something new and innovative. Viewers also loved the slight display of rivalry between Pakistan and India.
The emphasis on the campaign’s tagline, ‘It’s All On The Line,’ was also perceived positively, as the hustle for the crown was evident.
Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan Gears Up as Host
The ICC Champions Trophy, previously called the ‘ICC KnockOut Trophy’, is a high-profile cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and played in the One Day International (ODI) format. Established in 1998, the tournament was created to promote cricket in non-Test-playing nations and is held every four years. It is often compared to football’s FIFA Confederations Cup, and it features a condensed version of the Cricket World Cup’s format.
Pakistan is the reigning champion, having won the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy against India, in England and Wales. The next ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled for February 2025 and will be hosted by Pakistan. The first match of the tournament is in Karachi on February 19, between Pakistan and New Zealand. This event marks the country’s first major ICC event since 1996. It is expected to feature the top eight ODI teams, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, England, Australia, and South Africa.
