Chris Gaffaney from New Zealand and Richard Illingworth from England have been appointed as the on-field umpires for the highly anticipated first semifinal of the 2025 Champions Trophy between India and Australia in Dubai, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
For the semifinal match scheduled for Tuesday at the Dubai International Stadium, Michael Gough will serve as the third umpire, and Andy Pycroft will be the match referee. Richard Illingworth’s presence in Dubai continues as he also officiated India’s Group A match against New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday. Chris Gaffaney was initially assigned to umpire Australia’s Group B match against South Africa in Rawalpindi, but it was unfortunately abandoned due to rain.
In the second semifinal, which will be held in Lahore, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena and Australia’s Paul Reiffel will take on the roles of on-field umpires for the match between South Africa and New Zealand.
Joel Wilson will be the third umpire for the second semifinal, while Ranjan Madugalle will be the match referee. Kumar Dharmasena previously umpired New Zealand’s victory over Bangladesh in Group A, and Paul Reiffel was on the field when India defeated Pakistan in Dubai.
The India versus Australia semifinal in Dubai is a significant rematch of the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup final, with the winner securing a spot in the Champions Trophy final scheduled for March 9. Australia enters the semifinal with one win from three group matches, with two matches being abandoned due to rain. In contrast, India comes into the match with a strong momentum of three consecutive wins in the group stage.
India has demonstrated consistent performance across all aspects of the game, while Australia, despite the absence of several key players, has shown resilience, notably achieving a record-breaking chase of 352 runs against England in Lahore.
Both India and Australia share the distinction of being the most successful teams in Champions Trophy history, each holding two titles. A victory for Australia in this semifinal would mean that the final will be played in Lahore, whereas an Indian victory would result in Dubai hosting the final match.
