The stage is set for the high-octane India versus New Zealand Champions Trophy 2025 final which is scheduled to be played on March 9 at the Dubai International stadium. Both India and New Zealand put on a dominant show to seal the Champions Trophy final berth. India are still unbeaten in the tournament as they progressed to the final by gunning down World Champions Australia in the semifinal. Meanwhile, New Zealand thrashed South Africa by 50 runs in the other semifinal to make it to the title clash. Notably, India will certainly have a momentum in their side as they earlier defeated New Zealand in their last league-stage match on March 2.
But one question which is lingering in everyone's minds is what will happen if the high-anticipated Champions Trophy final gets washed out. What does the ICC rules say? Is there any reserve day for the Champions Trophy final? Let's find out.
Concerns arise regarding the possibility of inclement weather disrupting such a crucial Champions Trophy final. Let's know where there is any reserve day for the title clash or not.
Is there any reserve day for the India vs New Zealand Champions Trophy final?
One this is for sure that the match has to be completed to decide the winner. However, history is replete with instances where finals have been abandoned due to unrelenting rain. To mitigate this risk, tournament organisers typically designate a reserve day.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, featuring India and New Zealand, will indeed have a reserve day. Should rain impede play on the scheduled date of March 9, the match will be resumed on the following day. The venue, the Dubai International Stadium, will remain unchanged, ensuring continuity and fairness in the competition.
Notably, the Champions Trophy 2002 stands as a unique chapter in the tournament's history, marking the only instance where the final resulted in a shared title. In that edition, the highly anticipated clash between India and Sri Lanka was twice thwarted by persistent rainfall. Notably, even with a designated reserve day, the weather refused to cooperate, leading to the unprecedented outcome. It's important to remember that while a reserve day is standard practice, only one such day is allocated per match in the tournament. However, in the past, a match has been replayed on the reserve day due to the specific playing conditions at the time.
The Champions Trophy 2002 final was particularly frustrating for cricket fans. Rain severely hampered India's batting efforts, preventing their innings from progressing beyond the 10-over mark on both the scheduled day and the reserve day. In contrast, Sri Lanka had managed to complete their full 50-over innings, highlighting the uneven impact of the weather. This unfortunate sequence of events ultimately forced the organizers to declare a shared trophy, leaving both teams as joint champions.
Anticipation for the 2025 Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand in Dubai is high, and a common concern is the potential for rain to disrupt the match. Fortunately, current weather forecasts appear promising. According to AccuWeather.com, the Dubai International Stadium is expected to experience clear skies on the day of the final. There's no indication of rainfall, with temperatures predicted to reach a warm 33 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere is described as partly sunny and very warm, suggesting ideal conditions for cricket.
India vs New Zealand Head-to-Head in ODIs
India and New Zealand have locked horns with each other 119 times in ODIs so far. While India have emerged victorious on 61 occasions, New Zealand have notched 50 wins. Notably, seven matches ended without a result while 1 clash ended in a tie.
