India Start ICC Champions Trophy Defence vs Pakistan at Edgbaston

India will launch their ICC Champions Trophy title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan when the two Asian powerhouses go head to head at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on June 4, 2017.

The 18-day tournament will run from June 1 to 18, 2017 and will also see matches played at the Cardiff Wales Stadium in Cardiff and The Oval in London.

A couple of days before this mouth-watering all-Asian clash, Australia and New Zealand will lock horns in a repeat of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final at Edgbaston.

Event hosts and 2004, 2013 finalists England will take on Bangladesh in the tournament opener at The Oval, which will also be the venue for a battle between former champions Sri Lanka and South Africa on June 3.

The tournament schedule was announced at The Oval on Wednesday, exactly a year before the first ball is bowled in the tournament, in which a total of 15 matches -- including three knock-out games -- will be played over two and a half weeks.

The top eight sides on the ICC ODI Team Rankings on September 30, 2015 have qualified for this tournament, with world champions Australia seeded number-one.

Australia head Group A, which also includes fourth seed New Zealand, sixth seed England and seventh seed Bangladesh, who will be returning to this competition for the first time since 2006.

Defending champions India are seeded second and lead Group B, which also comprises third seed South Africa, fifth seed Sri Lanka and eighth seed Pakistan.

The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which will be played at Cardiff and Edgbaston on June 14 and 15, respectively, with The Oval hosting the final. There will be a reserve day for the final.

(With inputs from ICC)