Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand full squad, SWOT analysis, and key player to watch

Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand full squad, SWOT analysis, and key player to watch

New Zealand’s change of guard in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) had a lacklustre initiation with a 0-2 series loss to Sri Lanka in November, but the pieces are falling into place for the Kiwis as they head into the ICC Champions Trophy.

Since being named full-time captain, Mitchell Santner has overseen a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka at home in January, followed by a comprehensive tri-nation series win in Pakistan.

The wins in Pakistan will boost morale for a side that has lost 19 out of its 35 ODIs away from home since 2022.

The urgency with the willow has been the standout change under Santner. The team has scored at 6.18 runs per over in 2025, the fastest it has ever batted in ODIs.

Whether New Zealand can sustain this approach in the ICC Champions Trophy will depend on Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell in the lower-middle order. The former showed his pyrotechnics in the tri-nation series, scoring an unbeaten 106 off just 74 deliveries against Pakistan, while Bracewell chipped in with a 23-ball 31. Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Latham, who are expected to bat at numbers three, four, and five, respectively, can play the perfect foil to the two hitters by setting up platforms. However, to maximise the batter-friendly wickets in Pakistan, where New Zealand plays Bangladesh and the host, Latham could make way for Mark Chapman, who boasts a strike rate of 105.14.

But the biggest change for New Zealand has come right at the top, where Will Young has been preferred over Devon Conway as Rachin Ravindra’s opening partner. Conway impressed during the 2023 ODI World Cup, amassing 372 runs in 10 innings. However, the southpaw suffered an injury in 2024 and played his first 50-over match since the World Cup semifinal during the tri-nation series.

New Zealand will have to choose between Conway and Young, given the need to improve its PowerPlay (1-10) run rate, which stands at 5.21 in 2025. While most boxes are ticked in the batting department, New Zealand will be desperate to settle on a bowling combination.

For the first time since 2010, the Kiwi pace battery will enter an ICC competition without Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Its lead pacers — Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry — have considerable experience, but an injury for the former on the cusp of the tournament has left the unit shorthanded. Thirty-year-old Kyle Jamieson, who has played 13 ODIs, has been named as a replacement for Ferguson.

The backups — Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, and Will O’Rourke — have only 26 ODI appearances between them and remain untested in ICC events.

As a result, New Zealand will relish playing two of its group-stage matches in Karachi (against Bangladesh) and Dubai (against India), venues that favour spinners. Even though Santner is the only full-time spinner in the squad, the Kiwis boast a plethora of all-rounders who can contribute with the ball.

Since 2006, the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy editions are the only 50-over ICC tournaments where New Zealand missed the semifinals. The two favourable venues might just provide the stroke of fortune the Kiwis need to clear this hurdle.

New Zealand will be counting on Rachin to replicate his stellar form from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, where he amassed 578 runs in 10 innings, including three centuries. He was in fine touch throughout the year, averaging 41 across 25 matches.

The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy offers him a chance to improve his record in Pakistan, where he has struggled, managing just 62 runs in four ODIs — well below his usual standards.

However, Rachin suffered a setback during the recently concluded tri-nation series, taking a blow to the forehead while fielding against Pakistan on February 8. Though he cleared the initial Head Injury Assessment, his laceration required stitches. He missed New Zealand’s next game on February 10 and was ruled out for the rest of the series.

New Zealand will be hoping for his swift recovery.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Jacob Duffy, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young.