New Delhi: The date and venue of the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 are out. India will host the showpiece event, but as per the hybrid model agreed between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Pakistan will play all its matches at a neutral venue.
The tournament will begin on September 30 with the blockbuster clash between India and Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India’s next fixture is with arch-rivals Pakistan, but the match will not be held in India. Instead, the marquee clash will be hosted by the iconic R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on October 5, as per a report in ESPN Cricinfo. India’s match against the other Asian rival is scheduled for October 26 in Bengaluru.
Pakistan will play all their games in Colombo – Bangladesh (Oct 2), vs India (Oct 5), England (Oct 15), New Zealand (Oct 18), South Africa (Oct 21) and Sri Lanka (Oct 24).
Rematch of last edition’s final: Australia vs England in Indore
Meanwhile, Holders Australia will open their campaign on October 1 at Indore’s Holkar Stadium against New Zealand, before travelling to Colombo to face Pakistan on October 8. Australia’s high-profile game against England – a rematch of the 2022 final – is scheduled to be played on October 22 in Indore.
England, the second most successful team in the women’s World Cup history with four titles, will take on South Africa in Bengaluru (Oct 3), Sri Lanka in Guwahati (Oct 11) and New Zealand in Guwahati (Oct 26).
The knockout games are spread across India and Sri Lanka, with the first semi-final slated for either Guwahati or Colombo on October 29, depending on Pakistan’s progress in the tournament. The second semi-final will be hosted by Bengaluru on October 30, while the final will be held in either Bengaluru or Colombo on November 2.
India are hosting the marquee tournament for the first time since 2013. The format remains the same as in 2022, with every team playing the other in a round-robin format, and the top four after the league stage qualifying for the semi-finals.
Hosts India, defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka qualified directly for the tournament. Pakistan and Bangladesh booked the last two spots via the qualifiers in Lahore earlier this year.
The 2025 Women’s World Cup is set to be hosted by India but Pakistan will play all their matches at a neutral venue in accordance with the hybrid model agreed between BCCI and PCB. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
