DUBAI: India has won its third ICC Champions Trophy title by defeating New Zealand by four wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing 252, the Men in Blue achieved the target in the 49th over thanks to a commanding 76 from skipper Rohit Sharma and 48 from Shreyas Iyer.
Batting first, New Zealand posted 251/7 in 50 overs. Daryl Mitchell (63) and Michael Bracewell (53 not out) put in a fine performance to take the Kiwis to a competitive total.
India chase
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put on a brilliant opening stand of 105 runs for India. However, Gayle departed after scoring 31 runs, followed by a rare failure from Virat Kohli, scoring just one run.
Despite the setbacks, Rohit remained steadfast, scoring 76 off 83 balls, which included three sixes and seven fours. Shreyas Iyer scored 48 off 62 balls, while Axar Patel (29) and Hardik Pandya (18) contributed.
As the match neared its end, KL Rahul (34 not out for 33) and Ravindra Jadeja (not out) finished the job, with Jadeja hitting the winning shot off the last ball of the 49th over.
For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell took two wickets each, while Kyle Jamieson and Rachan Ravindra took one wicket each.
With the victory, India clinched their third Champions Trophy title, having previously won in 2002 (shared with Sri Lanka) and 2013.
New Zealand batting
Earlier, in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, New Zealand had set India a target of 252 runs to win.
Batting first after winning the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Kiwis scored 251 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs.
India made an early start in the New Zealand batting line-up by dismissing three key players within the first 75 runs.
The first victory came on 57 runs when Will Young fell victim to Varun Chakravarthy for 15 runs. Soon after, opener Rachan Ravindra was caught by Kuldeep Yadav for 69.
The Indian spinners struck again on 75, removing New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
