New Zealand won the toss and has elected to bat first against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final.
India and New Zealand are set to clash in the final of the Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Stadium. The two sides last met in the group stage, where India secured a convincing win. However, history favours New Zealand, which has lost to India only once in ICC tournaments since 2003.
With the trophy on the line, conditions at Dubai will play a key role in the outcome.
Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy
New Zealand: Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke, Nathan Smith
Pitch report:
The surface at Dubai International Stadium has favoured spinners throughout the tournament, and the final is expected to be no different. The match will be played on a ‘semi-fresh’ pitch, previously used for the India vs Pakistan group-stage clash on February 23.
In that game, Pakistan managed 241 in 49.4 overs before India chased the target with six wickets in hand. Spin played a crucial role, with Kuldeep Yadav (3/40) leading India’s bowling attack. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja also made an impact, combining for five wickets. With both teams featuring quality spinners, their performance could be decisive in the final.
Teams winning the toss will have a crucial decision to make. While 37 out of 62 ODIs at this venue have been won by teams bowling first, the impact of spin could make setting a total equally effective. The average first-innings score at the venue stands at 219, with teams batting second averaging 193.
Weather report:
Dubai is set to provide clear and sunny conditions for the final, with temperatures peaking at 29°C. With no rain forecast, uninterrupted play is expected. The warm conditions may aid dry pitch conditions, further assisting spinners as the match progresses.
Head-to-head:
This will be the second encounter between the teams in the tournament, with India winning the group-stage match by 44 runs.
However, New Zealand holds the upper hand in their only previous Champions Trophy knockout meeting, having defeated India by four wickets in the 2000 final. The two sides now meet again with the title on the line, as India seeks its third Champions Trophy crown and New Zealand aims to repeat its 2000 triumph.
India vs New Zealand head-to-head in ODIs
• Matches played: 119
• India won: 61
• New Zealand won: 50
• Tied: 1
• No result: 7
India vs New Zealand in ICC Champions Trophy
• Matches played: 2
• India won: 1
• New Zealand won: 1
• Last result: India won by 44 runs (Dubai; 2025)
India enters the final with a dominant recent record against New Zealand, winning the last five encounters in ODIs. However, with the stakes at their highest, the Kiwis will look to overturn history and secure their second Champions Trophy title.
