Why is Matt Henry not participating Champions Trophy 2025 Final between India versus New Zealand?

India (IND) and New Zealand (NZ) faced off in the Final of the Champions Trophy 2025 at the iconic Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 9.

India entered the final as the only unbeaten team in the tournament, having dominated with their spinners, who have collectively taken 21 wickets—more than the past three World Cup winners combined. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s spinners have also been impressive, claiming 17 wickets.

The Kiwis have a history of getting the better of India in crucial ICC knockouts, but Rohit Sharma’s men will be eager to end their wait for a Champions Trophy title. Interestingly, the last time these two sides met in a Champions Trophy was in 2000, when New Zealand secured a four-wicket victory in Nairobi.

Toss Update

New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first. The Kiwis were forced to make one change, with Nathan Smith replacing the injured Matt Henry. Meanwhile, India stuck with an unchanged XI.

Nathan Smith Replaces Injured Matt Henry

Ace pacer Matt Henry was ruled out of the final due to a right shoulder injury sustained during the semi-final against South Africa. As a result, Nathan Smith will feature in just his second game of the tournament.

What did the captains say at the toss?

Mitchell Santner (New Zealand):

We’re going to have a bat first. Looks like a pretty good wicket, similar to the one we played India here a week ago. Want to get runs on the board and see what happens. Obviously expected a few blue shirts, great atmosphere, great ground. Going to be slightly different from what we got in Pakistan. We saw how India played and what they got out of it. Hope it slows down a bit later. Different guys have stepped up at different times. You want guys firing from the start and we have done that, as have India. Unfortunately Matt Henry has been ruled out, we’ve got Nathan Smith coming in.