Ravindra, Kane Power New Zealand into Champions Trophy 2025 Final against India
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
New Zealand to Face India in Champions Trophy 2025 Grand Final
New Zealand stormed into the Champions Trophy final with a commanding 50-run victory over South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday, thanks to remarkable innings from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Black Caps posted an imposing target of 362/6, setting a new tournament record for the highest score in a Champions Trophy match. The foundation of their total came via a brilliant 164-run stand for the second wicket between Ravindra and Williamson, who both reached personal milestones, recording their fifth and 15th ODI centuries for their country, respectively.
Ravindra was dismissed for 108 off 101 balls, and Williamson departed for 102 off just 94 balls, while skipper Mitchell Santner was the star with the ball in hand, claiming 3/43 as the Black Caps defended their total with relative ease despite David Miller smashing a century in only 64 deliveries. This is the fifth semi-final that New Zealand have won at an ICC ODI event from seven such matches, and they will need to be equally, if not even more, ruthless on Sunday when they take on the Men in Blue, who beat them by 44 runs a week ago in the final match of the group stage.
Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen both scored half-centuries for the Proteas, but it was not enough to match the mammoth target set by their Southern Hemisphere counterparts. With this result, South Africa have now exited the Champions Trophy in the semi-final on five separate occasions, including the 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2013 editions. The inaugural Champions Trophy winners also lost in the semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the final at last year's T20I World Cup against the Blue Shirts.
India are the clear favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday, and you can check out our Champions Trophy final prediction, which will be released ahead of the toss.
Leading Run-Scorers and Wicket-Takers Ahead of the Champions Trophy Final
With the Champions Trophy 2025 final now set, there are several players still in the running for individual accolades this Sunday. Ravindra’s steller knock in the semis propelled him to second place in the leading run-scorer standings, while Virat Kohli is fourth and can never be counted out in major ICC events. With the ball, Matt Hendry leads the way, but Mohammed Shami and spin sensation Varun Chakaravarthy are hot on his heels, while Santner is also in the conversation.
| Pos | Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ENG | Ben Duckett | 3 | 3 | 227 | 165 |
| 2 | NZ | Rachin Ravindra | 3 | 3 | 226 | 112 |
| 3 | ENG | Joe Root | 3 | 3 | 225 | 120 |
| 4 | IND | Virat Kohli | 4 | 4 | 217 | 100* |
| 5 | AFG | Ibrahim Zadran | 3 | 3 | 216 | 177 |
| 6 | IND | Shreyas Iyer | 4 | 4 | 195 | 79 |
| 7 | SA | Rassie van der Dussen | 3 | 3 | 193 | 72* |
| 8 | NZ | Tom Latham | 4 | 4 | 191 | 118* |
| 9 | NZ | Kane Williamson | 4 | 4 | 189 | 102 |
| 10 | IND | Shubman Gill | 4 | 4 | 157 | 101* |
| Pos | Team | Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets | BBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NZ | Matt Henry | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5/42 |
| 2 | IND | Mohammed Shami | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5/53 |
| 3 | IND | Varun Chakaravarthy | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5/42 |
| 4 | AFG | Azmatullah Omarzai | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5/58 |
| 5 | AUS | Ben Dwarshuis | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3/47 |
| 6 | NZ | Mitchell Santner | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3/43 |
| 7 | SA | Wiaan Mulder | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3/25 |
| 8 | SA | Kagiso Rabada | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3/36 |
| 9 | SA | Lungi Ngidi | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3/72 |
| 10 | AUS | Adam Zampa | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2/48 |
The player prop bet market is red-hot, and you will be able to find our experts’ thoughts on the winners by checking out our cricket predictions here on SportyTrader!
India and New Zealand’s Paths to the Final
| India | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| February 20: India beat Bangladesh by six wickets | February 19: New Zealand beat Pakistan by 60 runs |
| February 23: India beat Pakistan by six wickets | February 24: New Zealand beat Bangladesh by five wickets |
| March 2: India beat New Zealand by 44 runs | March 2: New Zealand lost to India by 44 runs |
| Semi-final, March 4: India beat Australia by four wickets | Semi-final, March 5: New Zealand beat South Africa by 50 runs |
New Zealand’s only loss in this competition came at the hands of India last week, while the Men in Blue are unbeaten in the tournament and have not tasted defeat in the 50-over format since the start of 2025.
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