The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 is underway, with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting the 13th edition of the tournament from September 30 to November 2. The opening match sees India Women face Sri Lanka Women in Guwahati. This marks the fourth time India has hosted the Women's World Cup, and the first for Sri Lanka.
Tournament Overview
Eight teams are competing for the title in a round-robin format, with each team playing seven group-stage matches. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for October 29 and 30, with the final slated for November 2. Australia is the defending champion, having won their seventh title in 2022.
Teams and Qualification
The eight participating teams are Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. India qualified as hosts, while Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka secured their spots as the top five teams in the ICC Women's Championship 2022-25. Bangladesh and Pakistan qualified through the World Cup qualifiers.
India's Team and Strategy
Harmanpreet Kaur captains the Indian team, with Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The squad blends experienced players and young talent. India aims to capitalize on their home advantage and recent form to secure their first World Cup title. India is currently ranked third in the world in the ODI format.
India's Recent Form: Ahead of the World Cup, India showed mixed results in bilateral series and warm-up matches. The team defeated England 2-1 in a series but lost 2-1 to Australia. In warm-up matches, India lost to England but secured a morale-boosting win over New Zealand.
Likely India Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Renuka Singh, Arundhati Reddy.
Sri Lanka's Team and Strategy
Chamari Athapaththu leads the Sri Lankan team. Sri Lanka will rely on Athapaththu's experience and the potential of young players like Dewmi Vihanga.
Likely Sri Lanka Playing XI: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Dewmi Vihanga, Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera.
Key Matchups
The tournament features several highly anticipated matches: * India vs. Sri Lanka (September 30) * Australia vs. New Zealand (October 1) * England vs. South Africa (October 3) * India vs. Pakistan (October 5) * India vs. Australia (October 12) * India vs. England (October 19)
Venues
Matches will be held in various cities in India and Sri Lanka: * India: Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam, Navi Mumbai * Sri Lanka: Colombo
Prize Money The total prize pool for the tournament is $13.88 million, exceeding the prize money for the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup.
Historical Context
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup returns to India after 12 years. India has been a runner-up twice, in 2005 and 2017, and is aiming for its first title.
Where to Watch In India, live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website. The Star Sports Network will provide live telecast on TV.
