India Defeat Kiwis to Win Champions Trophy

India eased to a relatively easy win over New Zealand in the final of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. On paper it perhaps looked a little closer than it really was, with the eventual champions prevailing with just six balls and four wickets to spare. However, in reality they were clear favourites before a ball was bowled and that status never really changed throughout the game.

It would be wrong to say that India were in complete control throughout but the valiant Kiwis were not able to give their opponents too much of a scare. India have looked like the best team during the whole competition and they won every game they played, ending with a 100% record. New Zealand, so often the bridesmaid and, seemingly, still waiting for their own big day, can have no real complaints, given Rohit Sharma’s men beat them in the group phase of the tournament (by 44 runs), as well as the final.

Route to the Final

Both teams were drawn in Group A, alongside Bangladesh and “hosts” Pakistan. We use quotation marks because, though it was Pakistan that were the tournament’s official host nation, the match between the two great rivals of the subcontinent, Pakistan and India, actually took place in Dubai. As did all of India’s games, including the final itself.

We will return to this controversy shortly, but India beat Bangladesh in their first game, then Pakistan, and then finally the Kiwis, all three clashes being played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. They won all three matches with a gear or two spare and then met Australia in the semis. They beat the Aussies, who had finished second in Group B, by four wickets, reaching their target of 265 with almost two overs to spare.

As for New Zealand, they had to face the hosts Pakistan in the National Stadium in Karachi but won by 60 runs. Next it was Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, where an easy five-wicket victory ensued, before that final group game in Dubai with India.

Finishing second behind India, they faced the Group B winners, South Africa, who beat England and Afghanistan but saw their clash with Australia rained off, which was a shame. They excelled in the semi, played in Lahore, piling up 362/6 and then limiting SA to 312/9 to set up a repeat clash with India.

The Final

India had an extra day of rest ahead of the final and, something we will look at in more detail, the benefit of not having to travel from their Dubai base. The Kiwis won the toss and chose to bat. 25 years ago they faced the same opponent in the final of this tournament, won the toss, and elected to field. They won back in 2000 and must have hoped their good fortune with the toss was a favourable omen but they were unable to capitalise on a good start and set a total that was probably at least 30 runs short of being competitive.

Will Young and Rachin Ravindra made 57 before the former was dismissed from the penultimate ball of the eighth over. Ravindra had been the dominant partner and at that early stage the Black Caps would have been eyeing a big score. However, the opener was dismissed with just 69 on the board and India managed to keep chipping away at the Kiwis, taking wickets just as a partnership was building.

In the end, Daryl Mitchell top-scored with 63, albeit from 101 balls, whilst the influential Kane Williamson got 11 from 14 balls. The second-best contribution with the bat for NZ came from Michael Bracewell, who hit a rapid 53 (from 40 balls) to at least lift NZ to a score that could at least hope to defend. India’s four slow bowlers did the damage, with Varun Chakravarthy the most expensive of the quartet but even he only went for 45 from his 10 overs, collecting three wickets as well.

Never in Doubt

India set about the NZ quicks, thankful that they didn’t have to face the injured Matt Henry. Sharma (76 from 83) and Shubman Gill (31 from 50) put on a century partnership to put the favourites in total control. The Kiwis may have felt a spark of hope when they got Virat Kohli out for just one run, but Shreyas Iyer settled any nerves India might have felt by stroking 48 from 62 balls.

He was well supported by the brilliant KL Rahul, who hit a brisk 34 not out to see his side home, with Ravindra Jadeja finishing not out on nine from six balls. New Zealand missed Henry, though by and large it was their spin bowlers who fared best, although Will O’Rourke took three wickets. India set about their chase in the sort of perfectly controlled way you would expect from such a strong, well-rounded white-ball team and they were deserving winners of the tournament.

Deserving Winners But Not a Fair or Righteous Fight

📸 with the 🏆#ChampionsTrophy #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/QnGM7L7QGL

— ICC (@ICC) March 9, 2025

India won and the circumstances of the tournament were not the fault of the players, who performed their jobs admirably. However, whilst New Zealand had to fly well over 7,000km and deal with all the issues that travel can throw up, the India players were relaxing in style and comfort in Dubai. In addition, the conditions there, as far as the wickets were concerned, helped them in general and, of course, they did not have to play on different types of pitches.

Such advantages are understandable for the host nation but the fact that India were able to dictate terms to the rest of the cricket world is not right and nor – as far as New Zealand were concerned – was it fair. For political reasons the Indian government would not allow their team to play in Pakistan and, for financial reasons – given the size of the Indian market – the ICC allowed them to reach a compromise which was a compromise only in the sense of balancing India’s wants with those of the ICC money men.

Sharma, Kohli and the rest of the team played well, and now add this Champions Trophy win to their success in the 2024 T20 World Cup. They also made the final of the 2023 50-over World Cup and are very much the best team in the world when it comes to the shorter formats. However, outcomes like this are not necessarily good for the game in general and it remains to be seen what the fallout from all of this will be.