We missed Matt Henry in the final but I couldn't be prouder of the group: Mitchell Santner

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner rued the absence of pacer Matt Henry after suffering a four-wicket defeat in the Champions Trophy 2025 final against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 9.

Henry finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, bagging 10 wickets from four games at an average of 16.70. He was expected to play a key role in the final but he failed to pass a fitness test ahead of the game. Henry had injured his shoulder while taking a catch against South Africa in the semi-final and he couldn't recover in time for the summit clash.

"He was the leading wicket-taker going into this game, and he's an outstanding bowler, as we've seen. He seems to be able to nip it on wickets that don't look like they should nip, so I guess we missed that today," Santner said in the post-match press conference.

"I feel for Matty. He's a massive team man, and he looked pretty distraught. We just kind of said, like, let's do it for him. To come this far and then be injured for the main event was pretty tough for him and I guess for us. He tried everything he could to be ready for this game, and unfortunately for us, he wasn't quite there," he added.

New Zealand faced a tough challenge with their scheduling during their Champions Trophy campaign. They were the only team to play in all four venues which hosted matches in the eight-team event. Meanwhile, India played all five of their games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The way Rachin came back straightaway after his head knock was great: Santner

Rachin Ravindra, the Player of the Tournament, had also sustained a forehead injury after attempting a catch in the outfield in the tri-series in Pakistan that preceded the Champions Trophy. Kyle Jamieson, meanwhile, was a last-minute replacement for Lockie Ferguson, who was injured playing in the ILT20.

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"It's never going to go perfectly in these tournaments, I guess, with the quick turnaround of games like we had. But I think what's most pleasing is different guys got opportunities and stepped up as. I couldn't be prouder of the group," the New Zealand skipper continued.

"There were guys coming in and out due to injury. And then the way Rachin came back straightaway after his head knock and hit the ground running was great. And Kyle Jamieson flying over and coming straight into the team - I thought he bowled extremely well in the games he played," Santner concluded.