Champions Trophy 2025: India vs New Zealand, Final – Match Preview

India will square off against New Zealand in the summit clash of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Sunday. Turning back the clock by 25 years, New Zealand registered a four-wicket win against India in the final of the Champions Trophy (previously called ICC Knockout trophy).

We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.

Current form of India: W W W W W

This will be India’s fifth game at Dubai and there is no doubt that familiarity of conditions will give them an edge. India has ticked the right boxes with both bat and ball and they would look to be clinical against the Kiwis in the all-important final. 

Current form of New Zealand: W L W W W

New Zealand came up with a comprehensive performance against South Africa in the semis as they posted 362 runs on the board. However, the Dubai track will be different and the Kiwis batters will look to play the Indian spinners with guile. 

Head to Head: Matches: 119, Won by India: 61, Won by New Zealand: 50, NR: 7, Tied: 1.

Players to watch out for: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya will be the crucial players for India.

Mitchell Santner, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Matt Henry, and Will O’Rourke will be the crucial players for the Blackcaps.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.