MUMBAI: The Rohit Sharma-led Indian squad made a quiet return home following their triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported.

After leading India to their second ICC title in nine months, Sharma landed back in Mumbai on Monday night.

The squad members have got a week off before they join their respective Indian Premier League teams ahead of the tournament beginning March 22.

“All the players with families left from Dubai on Monday. There are some players who have stayed back for a couple of days,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India source told PTI.

With players preferring to rest ahead of the two-month-long IPL, the BCCI did not plan a felicitation for the team like it did when the squad returned from Barbados following the win in last year’s T20 World Cup.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and pacer Harshit Rana landed in Delhi on Monday night. Superstar Virat Kohli had left the team hotel right after the team returned from the Dubai International Stadium late on Sunday night.

India beat New Zealand by four wickets to win their third Champions Trophy. They were the only unbeaten side in the eight-team tournament.

Though Pakistan were the tournament hosts, India played all their games in Dubai as per a “hybrid model”.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025