India vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction | 2025 ICC Champions Trophy | Final
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India and New Zealand meet for the second time in an ICC major tournament final with the Black Caps hoping to pull off a memorable upset.
Date & time: Sunday 9th March 2025: USA PT – 1:00am / USA ET – 4:00am / UK – 9:00am
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Weather: Sunshine at the start of play and some cloud later on, but conditions will remain hot as temperatures reach highs of 33c.
How to watch: USA – Willow TV / UK – Sky Sports & Sky Go
How to get tickets for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Click here for the latest ticket information for India vs New Zealand
India Preview: One step away from perfect tournament
There’s no doubt that India have been the best team in this edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, winning all four of their games played and looking excellent whilst doing so. They’ve held their nerve in tight situations and been ruthless when needed. Plus, the mix of experience and youth within their team is envious.
No surprises are expected when it comes to the India starting line-up as they hunt down another ICC major tournament title after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup less than a year ago. This serves as their final major white ball assignment before a huge five-match Test tour in England a few months down the line.
New Zealand Preview: Black Caps fight for white ball chance
New Zealand continue to defy those cricketing nations with much bigger budgets, going deep in yet another major tournament and reaching their first final since 2021 when they lost to Australia on this very same ground. However, their last major final against India saw the Black Caps triumph in the inaugural World Test Championship final in Southampton.
Fast bowler Matt Henry is facing a race against time to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in the semi-final. His fitness will be crucial to New Zealand’s chances with him being the top wicket-taker in the tournament so far. No Henry would be a big loss for Mitchell Santner’s side, with Jacob Duffy likely to replace him.
India Betting Analysis
After another masterful run chase in the semi-final, Virat Kohli remains the gold standard in ODI cricket, such is his wonderful ability to time an innings to perfection. Kohli’s 84 against Australia in a successful chase of 265 was pivotal to India’s success and took his overall tally of runs in this Champions Trophy to 217 across four innings.
In a big final such as this, it would be no surprise to see Kohli play a decisive hand, so back him to finish as India’s top batter.
New Zealand Betting Analysis
Whilst most eyes are likely to be on Kane Williamson when it comes to the New Zealand batting, it’s a younger star who has lit up the tournament in the main. Only three players boast more runs than Kohli with one of those being Rachin Ravindra. A 50-over phenom, the 25-year-old has racked up 226 in just three innings of work with two centuries and an average of 75.33.
Such figures can’t be ignored by bettors and a stake on Ravindra to score 30+ runs in the final via the ‘Batter Milestones’ market has to be favoured.
India vs New Zealand Expert Prediction
These two nations have already locked horns once in this tournament, in the group stage when India defeated New Zealand quite comfortably by 44 runs, ending the Black Caps’ 100% record in the process. Since then, New Zealand have flown to Pakistan in order to play (and beat) South Africa in the semi-finals before flying back to Dubai for this final. India meanwhile, have played all their fixtures on the same ground, minimalizing any travel and allowing them to quickly learn everything about the dimensions and conditions of the Dubai International Stadium.
The vast majority of cricket fans outside of India are likely to be rooting for New Zealand here. The odds are stacked against them when taking into account the travel times and the fact that they’ve already been beaten once by India. Not to mention that most love an underdog.
However, the reality is that despite any possible advantage regarding location, India are playing magnificent cricket and have been simply the best team in this tournament from the start. Therefore, back Rohit Sharma’s men to win what would be their second ICC major white ball title in less than a year.
India vs New Zealand Top Tip: India to win
