Women’s ODI World Cup: India vs Pakistan on October 5 in Colombo

The women’s ODI World Cup is set to kick off on September 30, with India taking on Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. India’s high-profile fixture against Pakistan, at the neutral venue of R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, is set for October 5, while their match against Bangladesh is on October 26 in Bengaluru.

Defending champions Australia are set to start their campaign on October 1 at Indore’s Holkar Stadium against New Zealand. The marquee clash against England – a rematch of the previous edition’s final – is set to be played on October 22 in Indore. India take on the holders on October 12 in Visakhapatnam.

Pakistan, who will play all their games in Colombo in accordance with the hybrid agreement arrived at between the BCCI and the PCB, will also face Bangladesh (Oct 2), Australia (Oct 8), England (Oct 15), New Zealand (Oct 18), South Africa (Oct 21) and Sri Lanka (Oct 24).

Opening fixtures and knockouts

Sept 30 – Ind vs SL, Bengaluru

Oct 1 – Aus vs NZ, Indore

Oct 2 – Ban vs Pak, Colombo

Oct 3 – Eng vs SA, Bengaluru

Oct 29 – 1st semi-final, Guwahati/Colombo

Oct 30 – 2nd semi-final, Bengaluru

Nov 2 – Final, Bengaluru/Colombo

Other key fixtures for England in the league stage include South Africa in Bengaluru (Oct 3), India in Indore (Oct 19), and New Zealand (Oct 26) in Guwahati.

Bangladesh, apart from playing Pakistan to start their campaign, are set to play three more matches at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Stadium while also taking on Sri Lanka in Colombo (Oct 20). South Africa, meanwhile, have games against New Zealand (Oct 6) and Australia (Oct 25) in Indore.

The need for Pakistan’s World Cup games to be played at a neutral venue arose due to strained relations between India and Pakistan, and India playing their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Dubai instead of in the host country, Pakistan. The PCB, in turn, said Pakistan would not travel to India for tournaments in the foreseeable future.

The tournament will feature 28 league games followed by three knockouts, with matches spread across Bengaluru, Indore, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Colombo. The last of these – a double-header Sunday featuring England vs New Zealand and India vs Bangladesh – is on October 26. The first semi-final is slated for either Guwahati or Colombo – depending on Pakistan’s progression – on October 29 while the second semi-final will be in Bengaluru on October 30. The final, on November 2, will be held in either Bengaluru or Colombo.

India are hosting the women’s ODI World Cup for the first time since 2013. The format for the 2025 tournament will be the same as in 2022, with each of the eight teams playing the other in a round-robin format, with the top four making the semi-finals.

Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka, apart from hosts India, qualified directly for the tournament. The last two spots were taken by Pakistan and Bangladesh at the qualifiers in Lahore earlier this year. The tournament will not feature West Indies, who missed out to Bangladesh on net run-rate at the qualifier.

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