Why is Kane Williamson not fielding in today's IND vs NZ 2025 Champions Trophy final?

New Zealand stalwart Kane Williamson did not take the field with his teammates during the second innings of the 2025 Champions Trophy final against India on Sunday (March 9) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Williamson remained on the bench due to a quad strain he sustained while batting during the first innings of the match. He was at the crease for only 14 balls and scored 11 runs before offering a simple return catch to Kuldeep Yadav. Substitute player Mark Chapman was roped in by the Kiwis as the replacement for Kane Williamson during the second innings.

New Zealand Cricket Board's official statement on the matter on X read:

"Team update | 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. #ChampionsTrophy #CricketNation"

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New Zealand notch up 251 in the 1st innings of 2025 Champions Trophy final vs India in Dubai

After Mitchell Santner won the toss and opted to bat, New Zealand openers Rachin Ravindra (37) and Will Young (15) put on a 57-run stand in 7.5 overs to set up a decent platform. Indian tweakers got into the game after that and arrested the momentum by spinning a web around the Kiwis batters to reduce them to 108/4.

Daryl Mitchell (63), Glenn Phillips (34) and Michael Bracewell (53*) then chipped in with vital contributions to help their side reach a decent first-innings total of 251/7.

Varun Chakaravarthy continued to impress by ending up with figures of 10-0-45-2. During the mid-innings break, Varun opened up about the Dubai pitch, saying:

"It was a good wicket compared to the last wicket. It was not turning much. All I could do was stick it into the stump line and wait for the batter to make some mistake. I like bowling in the death and the powerplay, it is more challenging and gives me more opportunity to pick wickets.

"I like talking to Kuldeep, even Jaddu bhai and Axar, I am pretty new to this setup and am looking to build some nice bonds. It (the right foot) is a little sore. It is a gettable score if we bat well initially."