India is set to host the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, marking the fourth time the nation has hosted the prestigious tournament. The tournament will be held in a hybrid model with matches being co-hosted by Sri Lanka. This is the first senior ICC women's tournament being hosted in the Indian subcontinent since 2016. The 13th edition of the 50-over tournament will take place from September 30 to November 2, 2025.
History of Hosting
India has a rich history of hosting the Women's Cricket World Cup, having previously hosted the event in 1978, 1997, and 2013. The 1978 edition marked India's debut in the Women's World Cup. Despite being a regular participant, India is yet to win the coveted title. Their best performance came in 2005 and 2017 when they reached the final but lost to Australia and England, respectively.
Tournament Structure and Venues
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will feature eight teams competing in a round-robin format, where each team plays against every other side once. The top four teams from the round-robin stage will then advance to the semi-finals, followed by the final. Navi Mumbai, Guwahati, Indore and Visakhapatnam are the four host venues in India, while Colombo is the only venue in Sri Lanka. The opening match will be held on September 30 between India and Sri Lanka.
Teams and Qualification
Eight teams will participate in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025. The top five finishers from the ICC Women's ODI Championship, along with hosts India, automatically qualified for the tournament. Bangladesh and Pakistan secured their spots through a qualifying event. Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka were the automatic qualifiers. A notable absence from the tournament is the West Indies, who failed to qualify.
The participating teams have announced their squads for the World Cup. India was the first team to announce their 15-member squad, which will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, with Smriti Mandhana as the vice-captain.
India's Preparation and Key Players
Led by Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, the Indian team aims to go further this time. Smriti Mandhana has been in excellent form since the 2022 tournament in New Zealand, scoring 2,100 runs at an average of 58.33 with eight centuries. India's key strength lies in its spin bowling attack, featuring Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and Radha Yadav.
The Indian team dropped a dozen catches in the three matches against Australia, and their ground fielding fell apart in the final game in Delhi. Their performance in the field is a concern for head coach Amol Muzumdar and his support staff as they look to train and play.
Australia as a Major Contender
Australia, the top-ranked team and seven-time world champion, will be a formidable opponent. Australia has made it to the final nine times out of the 12 Cricket World Cups and has won seven titles.
Warm-up Matches
Prior to the start of the tournament, warm-up matches are scheduled to be held in Bengaluru and Colombo. These matches provide an opportunity for the teams to acclimatize to the conditions and fine-tune their strategies. India lost their first warm-up match against England by 153 runs.
With the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 returning to India, the hosts will be hoping to capitalize on home advantage and finally clinch their maiden title. However, they will face stiff competition from Australia and other top teams.
