Revealed: Why is Daryl Mitchell not playing today's match against Bangladesh and who has replaced him?

New Zealand have been dealt a big blow ahead of their second match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell has been ruled out of the match and he has been replaced by the young top-order batter Rachin Ravindra.

Daryl Mitchell is a key player in New Zealand's middle order, especially in conditions where spinners are likely to have a say. His ability to play spin well in the middle overs makes him an important player for his team.

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Why is Daryl Mitchell not playing against Bangladesh?

Daryl Mitchell is not playing against Bangladesh as he is unwell. It is a significant blow to New Zealand, who will be looking for some other options to play his role. Mitchell has been replaced by Rachin Ravindra in the Playing XI.

Ravindra is likely to bat in the middle order despite being a top order batter. The left-hander has been slotted to bat at No. 5 for this match. New Zealand's openers Will Young and Devon Conway are in good form and they are likely to break their opening combination.

Rachin Ravindra was expected to open alongside Devon Conway when the squad for the Champions Trophy was selected. However, Ravindra got badly injured during the tri-series leading up to the tournament which paved the way for Will Young to come into the Playing XI.

Young took the opportunity with both hands and slammed a magnificent hundred in the first game of Champions Trophy against Pakistan. The opener scored 107 off 113 balls with 12 fours and 1 six and played a key role in New Zealand's victory.

Daryl Mitchell's ODI numbers

Daryl Mitchell is a key player for New Zealand across all the formats. The right-hander has established himself as an all-format player after some impressive outings.

He is an equally good player of both pace and spin. Mitchell has played 46 ODIs so far and scored 1775 runs at an average of 49.30 and a strike rate of 97.15. He scored 10 off 24 balls during the first match against New Zealand.

He has an excellent conversion rate and has struck 6 hundreds and 7 fifties throughout his ODI career. The right-hander has scored runs on different conditions across the world which shows his versatality as a cricketer. Adding to this, he can also bowl some part-time medium-pace.

Winning start for New Zealand

New Zealand started its Champions Trophy campaign with a thumping win over hosts Pakistan. Batting first, the Kiwis scored 320-5 in 50 overs on the back of centuries from Will Young and Tom Latham. Glenn Phillips also struck a fiery half-century.

In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for just 260. Khushdil Shah and Babar Azam hit fifites for the home team but those weren't enough to take them across the line. Mitchell Santner and Will O'Rurke picked up three wickets each for New Zealand.

If New Zealand beats Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, they will ensure to qualify for the semi-finals along with India. In this case, Bangladesh and Pakistan will be knocked out of the tournament.