Champions Trophy: Pakistan knocked out after New Zealand's win against Bangladesh; Netizens spark meme fest

The hosts and defending champions Pakistan’s campaign in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 officially came to an end after New Zealand registered a five-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, February 24. 

Pakistan were already on the verge of an early exit from the tournament after facing two consecutive defeats against New Zealand and India in the group-stage. The Mohammad Rizwan-led team lost the Champions Trophy 2025 by 60 runs against New Zealand. The high-stakes clash against India was crucial for Pakistan to keep their hopes alive to defend their triumph, which they won in 2017 under the leadership of Sarfaraz Ahmed. 

Also read: NZ vs BAN, Champions Trophy 2025: Rachin Ravindra makes stunning return from injury with a century (WATCH)

However, Indian bowlers and batters were too strong for Pakistan, as they handed a comprehensive 6-wicket defeat, further denting their chances of qualifying for the semifinal. Pakistan had to rely on the results of the Group A match between New Zealand and Bangladesh to stay in contention. However, New Zealand’s second successive win in the tournament sealed Pakistan’s fate and thus, they are officially out of the Champions Trophy 2025 as the defending champions. 

As soon as Pakistan was officially knocked out of the Champions Trophy 2025 after New Zealand qualified for the semifinal with a win against Bangladesh, netizens began to troll the Men in Green and sparked a meme fest on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter). 

Taking to their X handle (formerly Twitter), Indian cricket fans shared hilarious memes, jokes, and reactions highlighting Pakistan’s early exit from the tournament. While others brutally trolled the Men in Green for getting knocked out of the tournament despite partially hosting the marquee event, in a hybrid model in place as India are playing all their fixtures in Dubai after BCCI refused to send the team to Pakistan due to security concerns. 

Here’s how netizens reacted to Pakistan’s early exit from Champions Trophy 2025
 

Pakistan are hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in 29 years. The last time the country hosted an ICC event was in the 1996 ODI World Cup, where they were co-host alongside India and Sri Lanka. There was a lot of hype and excitement in the country as the ICC tournament returned to Pakistan after a long gap. The ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy is not completely hosted by Pakistan as India did not travel to their neighbouring country and shifted all their fixtures to Dubai after the ICC, BCCI, and PCB broke the deadlock after an extensive discussion regarding the security and diplomatic concerns between two nations. 

The excitement the fans had when the ICC tournament officially returned to Pakistan on February 19 was short-lived as the hosts suffered two consecutive defeats leading to early elimination from the tournament. Pakistan will play their last match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on February 27, Thursday.