ICC Women's World Cup 2025 Final: The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 final will be played between India and South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Both teams are in excellent form. India defeated seven-time champions Australia in the semi-finals, while South Africa defeated England to reach the final. The title battle between the two teams is set for today. Interestingly, neither team has ever won the World Cup. Therefore, the world is sure to have a new champion today.
The Indian team has reached the final of this prestigious tournament for the third time (after 2005 and 2017), while the South African team has reached the title match for the first time. Both teams are in excellent form and will enter the field with immense confidence. India was once in danger of being eliminated from the league stage, but the batsmen found their rhythm at crucial times and took the team to the title match.
Overall, November 2nd could mark a revolutionary change for women's cricket in both countries. But it won't be easy for either team. Both teams had a bumpy ride in this World Cup, losing to Australia and England in the league stage. South Africa lost to both teams, falling to paltry scores of 69 and 98, respectively, while Team India also failed to register a win against them.
But while South Africa lost only two matches, Team India lost three, and this third defeat proved to be the biggest difference. This is because Team India's defeat came against South Africa. In that match, Team India had reduced South Africa to 5 wickets for 80 runs, yet they were unable to defend the total of 251 runs. However, Team India's performance against South Africa in the World Cup has been similar in recent years. In the past 20 years, the Indian team hadn't defeated South Africa in the World Cup. The last time they won was in 2005, when India played in the final.
Key Players for Final Match
The manner in which Team India secured a place in the semifinals and then executed a world-record chase of 339 runs against defending champions Australia in the semifinals must have filled Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates with confidence and enthusiasm. Most importantly, this match also saw Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodriguez return to form. This means that two more batsmen, along with the already in-form Smriti Mandhana (389 runs), could now prove to be explosive. Meanwhile, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, and Sri Charani could pose a threat to South Africa's bowling.
Speaking of South Africa, there's hardly a bigger threat to Team India than their captain Laura Wolvaardt. If Wolvaardt, who has already scored the most runs in the tournament so far with 470, performs like she did in the semi-finals, it could spell disaster for India. Furthermore, the team will also have to be wary of star all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who has already shown impressive batting and bowling prowess. Performances like her quickfire 42 and five-wicket haul against England in the semi-finals are rare in major World Cup matches.
DY Patil Stadium Pitch Report
The DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai offers a red soil pitch, which typically offers help to all. It is usually a batting-friendly surface that has good bounce and pace on it. This means that fast bowlers get good assistance from the pitch at the start. As the innings progresses, spinners come into play.
According to reports, the pitch for the final will be the same one used during India's league match against New Zealand. If this is true, the hosts will be happy as the pitch supported them very well. A team effort helped India comprehensively defeat the White Ferns.
India has played three matches at this venue in this tournament and has dominated all of them. They defeated New Zealand in the league stage and then recorded a record-breaking victory against Australia in the semifinals. India was on the verge of defeating Bangladesh, but the match was abandoned due to rain.
India Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Uma Chetry (wicketkeeper), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana.
South Africa Squad: Laura Wolvaardt(c), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta(w), Annerie Dercksen, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Masabata Klaas, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase, Karabo Meso.
