Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel have been named the on-field umpires for the India-New Zealand ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final. The ICC has revealed the match officials’ list for the India-New Zealand Champions Trophy final. Paul Reiffel and Richard Illingworth will be the on-field umpires, with Joel Wilson handling TV umpire responsibilities.
Also in attendance will be Kumar Dharmasena as the fourth umpire, with Ranjan Madugalle being the match official for this much-publicized game.
Indian fans will have mixed memories about the presence of Illingworth as an umpire. The Englishman officiated the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which India lost in heartbreaking circumstances, and the 2024 T20 World Cup final, in which the men in blue lifted their first ICC trophy in 11 years.
Illingworth was also the on-field umpire for the India vs New Zealand group match in Dubai earlier this week, where India topped the group after securing a 44-run win over the Kiwis. He also officiated the semifinal match between India and Australia on Tuesday.
Australian Reiffel officiated the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand on Wednesday, which the Kiwis won by 50 runs due to centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson.
Illingworth is a four-time ICC umpire of the year and is nearing a century of ODI matches umpired as an on-field umpire. During his 15-year career, this will be his 99th ODI. His day’s partner will be equally experienced, this being Reiffel’s 95th ODI match since his first as an umpire in 2009.
India begins as favourites for this game, benefiting from the luxury of playing all their games in Dubai, whereas New Zealand have been travelling between the UAE and Pakistan. Also, India will be boosted by their win over the Kiwis in the group stage, in which Varun Chakravarthy was the star with a five-wicket haul, following which Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel played crucial innings with the bat.
