Kane Williamson unavailable to field after sustaining quad injury in IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy Final

New Zealand ace batter Kane Williamson is not fit to take the field in the second innings of the 2025 Champions Trophy final against India after sustaining a quad injury while batting. Mark Chapman replaces him out in the middle as the Men in Blue begin their run chase at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, March 9.

Williamson scored only 11 runs off 14 deliveries in the first innings of the crucial contest. He departed after a soft dismissal off Kuldeep Yadav's bowling in the 13th over.

New Zealand Cricket released a statement during the innings break, confirming Kane Williamson's unavailability due to injury.

"Kane Williamson will not field in the second innings of the Champions Trophy final due to a quad strain sustained while batting. Mark Chapman has taken his place in the field," the statement read.

Notably, Kane Williamson missed the historic Test series win in India last year due to a groin strain. He was initially ruled out of the initial part of the series, but his unavailability stretched through the entirety of the clean sweep in the subcontinent.

He has had several injury setbacks in recent times, most notably a major knee injury in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), causing him to miss the first half of the 2023 ODI World Cup. He also sustained a fractured finger on his return, and had to sit out an additional set of matches in the campaign.

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New Zealand searching for an early breakthrough while defending 252 in 2025 Champions Trophy Final

The Blackcaps' new ball charge in Matt Henry's absence has not started on the right foot. The pair of Kyle Jamieson and William O'Rourke are struggling to impose themselves after being hit for a flurry of boundaries by Team India skipper Rohit Sharma.

As of writing, Team India are placed at 30-0 after four overs, with Rohit Sharma racing off to 20 runs off 16 deliveries.