PAK vs NZ Dream11 Prediction: 3 Differentials you can pick for today's Champions Trophy 2025 match - February 19, 2025

Pakistan (PAK) and New Zealand (NZ) face off in the curtain-raiser of the Champions Trophy 2025 (CT 2025) on Wednesday, February 19, at the National Stadium in Karachi. With even one defeat potentially costing a team a chance at making the semi-finals, both teams will be keen on registering a win in this fixture.

NZ and PAK met less than five days ago in the Final of the Tri-Series with South Africa at the same venue, with New Zealand romping home to an easy victory. However, Pakistan are the defending champions of the Champions Trophy and that will give them some confidence leading up to this match.

Both sides are well-balanced and well-suited for ODI cricket, and it'd be a surprise if this game is anything but an engrossing watch. On that note, let's look at three players who could make excellent Dream11 differentials.

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#3 Saud Shakeel (BAT) (PAK)

It's a straight toss-up between Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam for the No.3 spot in Pakistan's playing XI today. With both players not in the best of form, the seniority and experience of the former might see him favored, and if that does happen, Shakeel could be a very handy Dream11 differential.

Shakeel might not have the best ODI record, but he is very familiar with the National Stadium in Karachi, having played in 10 Test matches at this venue, averaging 51.8 with the bat. While his form is a concern, his batting position more than makes up for it.

All it takes is one good inning for a player to get back into his groove, and considering his very high points ceiling, it's worth taking a risk and backing Saud Shakeel in this fixture.

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#2 William O'Rourke (BOWL) (NZ)

One of the most highly-rated players in this current New Zealand team, right-arm pacer William O'Rourke could be a solid differential pick on Dream11 for this match. While the start to O'Rourke's ODI career has been a tad expensive, 14 wickets in nine outings at a bowling average of 29.57 aren't bad numbers at all.

In his most recent game only four days ago at the National Stadium, O'Rourke broke the back of the Pakistan batting order, finishing with terrific figures of 4/43 in 9.3 overs. Considering that his role in this Black Caps bowling unit sees him take the new ball and operate at the death, O'Rourke has the chance to pick up lots of wickets and bowl quite a few dot balls.

That makes him a very potent Dream11 differential going into this fixture.

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#1 Will Young (BAT) (NZ)

Will Young is a technically solid and dependable ODI batter.

New Zealand's dependable and perennial backup top order batter Will Young could have an extended role to play in CT 2025, with Rachin Ravindra still recovering from an injury. In 40 ODIs, Young has scored more than 1500 runs at an average of 43.08 and is a class act in this format.

However, his form in the Tri-Series wasn't up to the mark and as a result, his Dream11 ownership is quite low coming into this match. However, excluding this series, Young has enjoyed batting against Pakistan, scoring 240 runs in five matches in NZ's 2023 tour of Pakistan.

The underlying numbers for Young may not as be as high as the others, but an opening batter with minimal Dream11 ownership is a rare sight. For those willing to take a punt, Will Young could be a rewarding differential pick.