India on Monday announced a rather safe and predictable 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy, which will be held in England between June 1-18. The selectors did not seem to consider performances in the Indian Premier League, with players such as Gautam Gambhir, Rishabh Pant, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and Kuldeep Yadav missing out.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were both picked after battling injuries, while Ajinkya Rahane also found a spot. Former captain MS Dhoni kept his place in the squad as the wicketkeeper-batsman, while batsman Manish Pandey also got a ticket.

The squad has only two proper spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – with the selectors picking four specialist faster bowlers in Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah. Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, and Hardik Pandya, along with Ashwin, make up the all-rounders.

The BCCI had missed the deadline date for submitting their squad, which was on April 25, following a standoff with the International Cricket Council over its revenue-sharing model. India’s participation in the tournament was uncertain until Sunday, when the BCCI finally announced that its team would participate.

The decision was made after a Special General Meeting featuring senior administrators from the board in New Delhi. The BCCI also authorised the acting secretary of the board to continue negotiations with the International Cricket Council while keeping its legal options open, stated a press release.

India are the defending champions, having won the trophy back in 2013 after being hosts England in the final. India will start their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston on June 4. Sri Lanka and South Africa are the other teams in their group.

Squad:

Virat Kohli (captain), MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Manish Pandey.