New Zealand came close to another ICC title but missed out on the final hurdle as they lost to India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final. The Kiwis, who had never lost to India in an ICC final until the summit clash in Dubai, failed to defend 252 to end up on the losing side.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner conceded that the Blackcaps missed their ace pacer and the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, Matt Henry, in the final against the Men in Blue. Henry was ruled out of the final due to the shoulder injury that he picked in the semifinal against South Africa. “He was the leading wicket-taker going into this game, and he’s an outstanding bowler, as we’ve seen,” Santner said after the loss to India.
“He seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don’t look like they should nip, so I guess we missed that today. I feel for Matty. He’s a massive team man, and he looked pretty distraught.
“We just kind of said, like, let’s do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was pretty tough for him and, I guess, for us. He tried everything he could to be ready for this game, and unfortunately for us, he wasn’t quite there,” he added.
The Kiwis also missed Kane Williamson on the field in the final after he sustained a quad injury. They faced several other challenges in the tournament too. “It’s never going to go perfectly in these tournaments, I guess, with the quick turnaround of games like we had,” Santner said. “But I think what’s most pleasing is different guys got opportunities and stepped up as. I couldn’t be prouder of the group.
“There were guys coming in and out due to injury. And then the way Rachin came back straight away after his head knock and hit the ground running was great. And Kyle Jamieson flying over and coming straight into the team – I thought he bowled extremely well in the games he played,” he added.
India defeated the Kiwis in Dubai after chasing down a competitive score of 252 with four wickets in hand. The Men in Blue are now the most successful team in the competition, having got their hands on the Champions Trophy for the third time, including the shared one with Sri Lanka in 2002.
India captain Rohit Sharma was named the Player of the Match in the final for his fiery 76 from 83 balls. The start that he provided went a long way in India, remaining comfortable to some extent when the Kiwis were alive in the game.
Rohit also spoke on his future, dismissing rumours of his retirement. “I’m not going to retire from this format, just to make sure that no rumours are spread going forward,” Rohit said at the press conference after the final.
