India will take on New Zealand in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium. This will be the third ICC championship match between India and New Zealand which will be held in Dubai.
The thrilling Champions Trophy 2025 final is just a day away and is set to start on Sunday, March 9, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. This will be the game that will decide who will be victorious in the ICC event. This will also be an incredible matchup between two teams who have had some memorable matches, especially in the ICC events.
IND vs NZ : Previous Performances
India have been brilliant in the tournament and reached the final undefeated. They beat Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the league stage before beating Australia in the semifinal. New Zealand, on the other hand, defeated Pakistan and Bangladesh but lost to India in the last league game. They beat South Africa in the semifinal to qualify for the playoffs.
Notably, Team India (IND) have remained undefeated, having managed to beat and overcome one of their biggest threats, Australia, in the semi-finals. However, they will be up for another challenge since they will be up against another team that they have failed against during the ODI World Cup 2019 knockout game. Notably, the Men in Blue have only beaten the Blackcaps in one ICC knockout match so far.
India will start the game as favourites but New Zealand would be no walkovers. New Zealand have troubled India in the past in ICC matches and they’d look to add bring more misery to them on Sunday. India though have a better team given the conditions and if they play well, it should be tough for New Zealand to get over them.
On the other hand, New Zealand (NZ) have also been in great form throughout this tournament. They outclassed the South African team in their semi-final match. Though they will be coming into the final brimming with confidence, the fact they faced their only defeat against India in the tournament will also be on the back of their mind. Overall this will be another championship game that can promise the fans all the thrill and excitement.
IND vs NZ : Head to Head
India and New Zealand have played five knockout matches in ICC events and New Zealand have won three matches while India won two games. New Zealand wins came in 2000 Champions Trophy final, 2019 World Cup semifinal and the WTC. India, on the other hand, defeated New Zealand in 2000 Champions Trophy quarterfinal and the 2023 World Cup semifinal.
India and New Zealand played 119 ODIs against each other. The Men in Blue emerged victorious in 61 matches, while the Blackcaps defeated them on 50 occasions. One game ended in a tie, and the remaining seven ODIs had no results.
| Matches Played | 119 |
| Won by India | 61 |
| Won by New Zealand | 50 |
| Tied | 01 |
| No Result | 07 |
| First-ever Fixture | 14 June, 1975 |
| Most-recent Fixture | 02 March, 2025 |
IND vs NZ : Pitch and Weather conditions
The slightly longer boundaries and slow surface in Dubai have made it a little bit tough for the batters to score runs freely. Though the Indian team has managed to chase down totals on this ground, it still proved to be challenging for them. Looking at how the recent matches have panned out, the wicket might be unpredictable for both the captains. Hence it will be a wise decision to bat first and put up a big total to put the opposition under run-chase pressure.
A keen contest between teams of equal strength if not in star power. Toss may not be crucial but India will not mind batting first or second. Unlikely that it will be a high-scoring game . A fresh pitch was offered to the two teams in the semi-final in Dubai and though it was somewhat better for batting, it wasn’t by any means helpful. Both teams will be focused on taking pace off the ball and might value setting a total, not just because it is a knock-out game, but because in the absence of dew, run-scoring will get harder as the pitch wears and tears.
The surface that was used in the India vs Pakistan match will be used for the final and it should favour the spinners. There has not been much dew in the evening so chasing could get tough if the team sets a big score batting first.
IND vs NZ : Big Picture : The two best spin-bowling units India and New Zealand locks horns with each other
Everybody knows how this is going to play out.
India will lean on the strength of their spinners, who on occasion have challenged the idea that runs even belong in the game of cricket. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy are probably allowed to do that. One minute, they toss a tiny white ball down the pitch, the next a full-grown man at the other end becomes a footnote in history without knowing what happened.
But the other two The left-arm orthodoxers One of them doesn’t even do it right. Axar Patel is supposed to turn the ball. And by all accounts, he does try. He runs in steady. He gives it a good rip. But the ball just never listens. All it wants to do after leaving Axar’s hand is crash into the stumps. India’s four spinners have produced 21 wickets in the Champions Trophy 2025. That’s more than the other three World Cup winners in this competition combined.
Dubai has been the perfect playground. It is also shaping up to be a bit of an asterisk. Rohit Sharma and his men have had one less variable to worry about than every other opposition – travel – and that clearly makes it less of an even playing field. And it would be unfair if they – the players – had asked for it.
They didn’t. All they’re doing is taking advantage of an advantage given to them. Cricket cannot solve the issue that has led to this event – and potentially other future events – being conducted in two different countries. So it did what it could. Put on a show and cash in.
Just before the start of the Indian team’s net session under lights at the ICC Academy in Dubai, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir were seen engrossed in a serious discussion. It’s unlikely they were confabulating about a joint family vacation after the Champions Trophy final on Sunday. What then? One can discern a few topics that could have dominated that midfield conclave ahead of the final against New Zealand. They may well be Kane Williamson and Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry and above all Rachin Ravindra.
The last one first. The 25-year-old all-rounder has made phenomenal strides in world cricket of late, leaving one to wonder what he could achieve in the next decade. In just 18 months, he has scored five ODI centuries in the ICC events. Big deal Kane Williamson, the New Zealand great, has only managed two, and bigger names in New Zealand cricket have less.
India must find a way to dismiss him early, like they did in the previous game, before he ascends to take control of the game. Coincidentally enough, he’s coming off a brilliant century against South Africa in the semifinal. He was the player of that match.
The sight of Henry could provide a chilling memory of that gloomy July morning in Manchester in 2019, when the pacer had ripped apart India’s top order, transposing the gloom in the weather outside to inside the Indian dressing room. India must prevent him from making inroads, and wreaking havoc early, like he did that morning in Manchester and here in the league game last Sunday. Rohit and Shubman Gill need to counter him. There has been talk of an injury to him – will the Indian team be concerned? An easy guess.
Williamson, like old wine, is only getting better and better. With no burden of captaincy, he’s playing with renewed freedom and confidence. He will pose a serious threat to the Indian bowlers on Sunday, and it will be important for India to dismiss him early, whether through pace or spin. Like Rachin, he too is coming off a century in the semifinal.
Another serious threat will be Mitchell Santner, the unassuming, under-the-radar captain, who can keep batsmen in check with his subtle control. Of particular interest will be his battle with Virat Kohli, who has shown some vulnerability against quality spin.
Another crucial factor in the game will be New Zealand’s fielding, an area where every player excels. It will be a contest between India’s batsmen and New Zealand’s fielders, who are capable of pulling off miracles on the field with their preparation, athleticism, and anticipation. Few teams in world cricket can boast of such skills and win matches purely through their fielding. That could be a defining element in the final.
With no dew in the night, the toss is unlikely to be a major factor although the New Zealand team management seems to be contemplating batting first, should they have the option, primarily to counter Varun Chakravarthy’s spin. For the Indian team, the toss won’t be a key determinant – they would be comfortable setting a target or chasing one.
Perhaps New Zealand are here to balance the scales a bit. Their spinners have been almost as good as India’s, picking up 17 wickets, and they’ve had the better of India in four of the last eight ICC tournaments. They have a member of the current Fab Four in good form and a contender for the next one coming off a hundred. Eight of the XI they’ve been using at this Champions Trophy were also part of the Test side that beat India in India 3-0. They really should stop meeting like this. But lucky for us, and maybe the ICC too, they won’t.
India are clearly the stronger side. But then, India have often been the better team in most face-offs with New Zealand in the ICC tournaments, yet they have ended up losing more often than winning in the global competitions.
IND vs NZ : In the spotlight : Kane Williamson and Shubman Gill
New Zealand will be playing in their sixth ICC men’s final. Kane Williamson has been part of five. How many more does he have left He’s seen Steven Smith retire from ODIs. He’s seen Joe Root exit the Champions Trophy. He’ll be seeing Virat Kohli soon enough, and only one of them will get to walk away with a title. What if Williamson wins? Will he bow out on a high like Kohli did from T20Is And what if he loses Does he have it in him to keep going
It was a double-century against New Zealand that showcased the heights that Shubman Gill can reach in one-day cricket. The ease with which he puts the ball away. The ability to handle pressure. The skill to shepherd an innings even while running out of partners. He seemed too young, at 23, to be able to do all that. And yet there he was. It seems entirely appropriate, considering the speed with which Gill has developed in ODI cricket, that only two years later, he has the chance to shape an ICC event.
IND vs NZ : Vital Stats that matters
- Henry has ten wickets at an average of 16.70 at this Champions Trophy. Five of those wickets came in the group match against India in Dubai
- India have made the knockout stages in 12 of the last 14 ICC events and won three. New Zealand have made eight and won one
- Virat Kohli is 45 runs away from beating Chris Gayle’s record as the highest run-getter in the Champions Trophy
- New Zealand’s spinners took seven wickets in the semi-final against South Africa, their joint highest-tally in a game of 50-over cricket. But they weren’t too effective in the group game they played against India, picking up two wickets for 128 runs at 5.1 runs per over
- New Zealand have a 3-1 record in ICC knockout matches against India, having won the CT final in 2000, the 2019 World Cup semifinal and the WTC final in 2023. India’s only win came in the 2023 World Cup semifinal
- Rohit Sharma is the first ever captain to reach the final in all four Men’s ICC tournaments – the WTC (2023), ODI World Cup (2023), T20 World Cup (2024) and Champions Trophy (2025)
- New Zealand’s spinners have picked up 15 wickets collectively in the matches against Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa, averaging 26 at a strike rate of 31.6. In the match against India, they got only two wickets at an average of 64 and a strike rate of 75
- Virat Kohli needs another 55 to become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history. Incidentally, it was in the 2023 World Cup semis against New Zealand when he went past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI tons
- Kane Williamson has scored 333 runs in his last six innings against India, at an average of 83.25 with a strike rate of 79.28, including four half-centuries
- Pacers and spinners have bagged 30 wickets each in the CT matches in Dubai. Pacers have had more success in the first innings (22) while spinners have bagged 14 and 16 wickets respectively in the two innings
IND vs NZ : Team News
India :
India have beaten New Zealand in Dubai already and that’s how they realised their best combination for those conditions, bringing in Varun and gaining another point-of-difference bowler through the middle overs. It’s unlikely they’ll want to tinker with that. With Hardik Pandya delivering with the new ball, India have gone into the recent matches with two pacers and four spinners, Varun Chakravarthy, being the fourth spinner. That seems the right lineup for the conditions in Dubai and they may not tamper with the winning combination.
There may, however, be a temptation to rest Kuldeep Yadav, who was not too impressive in the last two matches, for a pacer – Harshit Rana or Arshdeep Singh. That said, Rohit is known to give a long rope to the proven match-winners.
India Probable Playing XI : Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk.), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakravarthy.
New Zealand :
There has been concern around Matt Henry’s right shoulder after he landed awkwardly on it during the semi-final three days ago. He has been key to New Zealand’s plans, particularly against India, before. And so, in what would have come as very good news for New Zealand, Henry bowled and fielded at their nets session on match eve, suggesting he should be fit to play.*
Like India, the Black Caps too may opt for the XI that won them the semifinal which means Devon Conway will continue to remain on the bench. They too have four spinners like India – Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Philips and Rachin Ravindra – which means they have the right people for the conditions here.
There has been an injury cloud over Matt Henry who had a sore shoulder while fielding during the semifinal. He has been recovering well and should be available for selection but if there is a last-minute blip, Nathan Smith or Jacob Duffy will have to slot in.. There could be a temptation to pitch in Devon Conway, as it would be a better match up against India’s two left-arm spinners, left-arm wrist spin and right-arm mystery spin. However, given the recent form and his exploits on the Test tour of India, Young should keep his spot.
New Zealand Probable Playing XI : Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham(wk.), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke, Matt Henry/Nathan Smith
IND vs NZ Fantasy XI : KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Shreyas Iyer, Rachin Ravindra, Axar Patel, Mitchell Santner, Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Shami, Matt Henry, Varun Chakravarthy
IND vs NZ : Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter: Rohit Sharma
Though Rohit Sharma has not been in great touch so far and has failed to convert his starts into big innings, this will be an opportunity for him to get things rolling. Rohit has a great record in knockouts and will want to prove it in the upcoming match where he will want to lead from the front. Though he has already proved himself as a leader this will be the perfect opportunity to show once again why the ‘Hitman’ is one of the most dangerous batters in the game.
Probable Best Bowler: Mitchell Santner
It might be tough to balance captaincy and performance as a player but spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has done a tremendous job so far. He will also be effective on the Dubai pitch which will offer him some grip and turn. He has had great battles with the Indian legends and has currently taken seven wickets from the four matches he has played so far.
IND vs NZ : Match Prediction
India will start the match as favourites as they have the better team on paper according to the conditions but New Zealand have enjoyed plenty of success against India in ICC events so they will be optimistic about an upset as well.
Scenario 1
- India win the toss and opt to bat first
- PP score: 60-75
- IND: 270-280
- India win the match
Scenario 2
- New Zealand win the toss and opt to bat first
- PP score: 65-80
- NZ: 275-285
- New Zealand win the match