All you need to know about Women's ODI World Cup 2025

Yes, that's right. The Women's ODI World Cup 2025, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starts September 30. The semi-finals are on October 29 and 30 and the final on November 2.

A total of 31 matches will be played over 34 days in a round-robin format, with the top four teams progressing to the knockouts. All matches will begin at 3pm IST (0930 GMT) except New Zealand vs England on October 26, which will start at 11am IST (0530 GMT).

This is the fourth time India is hosting the Women's ODI World Cup, having done so in 1978, 1997 and 2013, and the first time for Sri Lanka.

It has never been more high-scoring. Before the 2022 ODI World Cup, the participating teams for the current edition had crossed the 300 mark a combined 44 times. Since then, they have had 34 totals of 300 or more between them, with Australia and India posting 400-plus once each. This surge highlights the growing skill and depth in women's batting, setting the stage for an exciting tournament.

The tournament will feature an all-female line-up of match officials. The prize pool, meanwhile, has soared to US$ 13.88 million - nearly four times of what it was in 2022.

Eight teams are participating. India qualified by virtue of being the hosts and were joined by the top five teams - Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, South Africa - in the Women's Championship cycle.

Bangladesh, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies, Thailand and Scotland competed in the World Cup Qualifier in Lahore, where Pakistan and Bangladesh secured their spots.

That's right. This is the first time in six editions since 2000 that West Indies will not be part of a Women's ODI World Cup. They narrowly missed out after Bangladesh pipped them by 0.013 on net run rate.

Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai in India, and Colombo in Sri Lanka will host the games. Colombo will host ten matches - all Pakistan games, the first semi-final, and the final if Pakistan qualify. Originally, Bengaluru was one of the host cities but was removed after the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was denied police clearance following the stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations in June.

Not quite. While India are the co-hosts, the venues tell a different story. The Holkar Stadium in Indore has never hosted women's internationals. The Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati is yet to stage a women's ODI, and its last women's T20I was back in 2019. Visakhapatnam last hosted a women's ODI in 2014, and while Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium has seen sold-out crowds for women's T20Is and the WPL, it has never hosted a women's ODI. The unfamiliarity with these grounds means India may not enjoy the advantage host countries generally do.

On form, yes. They have lost just four of their 31 ODIs since the start of 2023 and remain the benchmark in the format. They have a settled core and an unmatched tournament pedigree, having won the title seven times.

But India won't be far behind. They have had a strong run in 2025, losing only four of their 14 ODIs so far. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes her side can "beat Australia on any day" and they showed glimpses of that in the recent 2-1 series loss to them. Even Australia captain Alyssa Healy acknowledged that this is the "most stable" Indian team she has seen. That said, England, New Zealand and South Africa cannot be ignored.

Defending champions Australia kick things off with a high-octane trans-Tasman showdown against T20 world champions New Zealand in Indore in the second match of the tournament, on October 1.

One of the most anticipated contests is the face-off between India and Australia on October 12 in Visakhapatnam. Australia will take on their Ashes rivals England on October 22 in Indore. Then there is India vs England on October 19, Australia vs South Africa on October 25, and New Zealand vs England the following day, all of which could have a big say in the semi-finals line-up.

That will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on October 5. In women's cricket, the India-Pakistan rivalry has been firmly one-sided. The two teams have faced off 11 times in ODIs, with India winning every single game. The gulf in experience, infrastructure and depth has been evident over the years.

Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has returned from her knee injury to boost Australia's chances. Even though she hasn't played an ODI since December, she remains vital in spin-friendly conditions. England's Charlie Dean, another fingerspinner, could also be a key player.

Among the batters, South Africa's Tazmin Brits, India's Smriti Mandhana and Sidra Amin of Pakistan are in the form of their lives. Brits and Mandhana have already scored four ODI hundreds this year.

This will also be Heather Knight's first tournament after she relinquished England captaincy.

In just ten months since her debut, India opener Pratika Rawal has scored six half-centuries and one century in 17 innings, and has an average of 50.12. Her ability to score consistently in different conditions has made her a crucial part of India's batting line-up.

Among bowlers, England spinner Linsey Smith announced her arrival in ODIs with a five-for on debut against West Indies in May. Having made her T20I debut at the 2018 T20 World Cup, she had to wait six-and-a-half-years for a chance in ODIs.

This will also be the first ODI World Cup for Pakistan's left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal. Though she made her ODI debut in 2019, it's only in the last couple of years that she has become a regular in the team, thanks to her wicket-taking ability. Incredible as it may sound, this is also India batter Jemimah Rodrigues' first ODI World Cup.

Certainly. New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has already said so, just like Megan Schutt and Alyssa Healy as well. It could be the same for Suzie Bates, Marizanne Kapp, Chamari Athapaththu, Heather Knight, and a few others. Harmanpreet will be 40 by the time the next edition rolls in, so it could be her last too.

All matches will be live on the JioStar network and the JioHotstar app in India, Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, Amazon Prime Video in Australia, Sky TV in New Zealand, PTV and Ten Sports in Pakistan, Maharaja TV in Sri Lanka and Willow TV in the USA and Canada.