Champions Trophy fever takes over Google with Mini Cup

WEB DESK: Google has launched a new smart phone browser game, Mini Cup, for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025, which fans can play right now.

Cricket fans can search up ‘Champions Trophy’ on Google, and a spinning cricket ball icon will appear on the bottom right corner of their phone’s web browser. Pressing on it will reveal the game, Mini Cup.

Mini Cup allows fans to compete for the country they support in each of their group stage matches, earning points that affect the eight competing teams’ standings.

The game features a duck, a deadly bowler possessing a myriad of weapons including fast balls, spin balls, and physic defying deliveries. Fans will pick up the bat as they face the duck bowler, attempting to record a high score. Players will need to tap on the screen when the ball is close enough to be hit to earn points. If the player is bowled, the duck will let out an infuriating laugh, mocking the player.

The total number of points that players score across all the games they play will be added to their team’s points in the standings.

Also read: Pakistan vs NZ Champions Trophy 2025: everything to know

Currently, India leads the tournament with over 7,150,000 points, while Pakistan is in second with nearly 3,000,000 points.

Mini Cup isn’t the first game google has launched to celebrate the Champions Trophy. In the last edition of the tournament, in 2017, Google Cricket was available. The 2017 game featured more traditional gameplay, with the player taking control of a cricket, the bug, as they batted against a team of slugs. In contrast to the more streamlined approach of Mini Cup, in which a score of one is added for every ball hit, Google Cricket featured the ability to hit boundaries, as well as run the wickets.

However, the more streamlined approach may captivate fans more as they can now play their own games alongside the Champions Trophy matches that will take place beginning from today. Pakistan face New Zealand in the tournament opener at 2PM today, February 17.

Also read: Where to watch (and listen to) the Champions Trophy