India and New Zealand are preparing to meet in their first white-ball cricket tournament final in 25 years. New Zealand earned their spot after defeating South Africa in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final in Lahore.
The Black Caps will face India in Dubai on Sunday after India secured their place by beating Australia by four wickets in Dubai on Tuesday.
This match gives New Zealand a chance to avenge their recent Group A loss against India. The two teams have previously met in two ICC tournament finals.
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Their last encounter in a final was during the 2021 ICC World Test Championship in Southampton, where New Zealand, led by Kane Williamson, defeated India by eight wickets in a rain-affected match.
The teams’ previous white-ball tournament final was at the 2000 Champions Trophy, called ICC Knockout Trophy then, in Nairobi, where New Zealand claimed their first ICC title with a four-wicket victory.
What happened in the 2000 Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand?
In that 2000 final, India, under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership, scored 264/6 in 50 overs. Ganguly contributed 117 runs and Sachin Tendulkar made 69, though the middle order failed to capitalise on the strong start.
New Zealand, captained by Stephen Fleming, successfully chased the target with Chris Cairns scoring an unbeaten 102 off 113 balls despite injury concerns.
New Zealand have not won a global white-ball title in men’s cricket since then, coming close in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups but falling short in the finals.
In their recent group stage match, India dominated New Zealand, restricting them to 205 runs and successfully defending a target of 249 in Dubai. Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets in his tournament debut, while Shreyas Iyer scored 79 runs.
New Zealand’s semi-final victory against South Africa showcased their strength. Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson scored centuries in Lahore, while their spinners controlled the game.
Mitchell Santner claimed three wickets, with Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips taking two each, effectively limiting South Africa’s chase despite David Miller’s century.
