India open the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in Guwahati against Sri Lanka. Harmanpreet Kaur’s India, favourites with a dominant record, aim to start strongly, while Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka seek a spirited comeback on the world stage on Sept 30.
The Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 is set to take place on Tuesday, September 30, with Team India taking on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. India is hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup for the fourth time after organising the marquee event in 1978, 1997, and 2013.
Sri Lanka is the co-host of the tournament as it will host Pakistan’s matches due to political tensions with India. Since the 8-team tournament will be played in a round-robin format, Harmanpree Kaur-led Women in Blue will play all the participating teams, including the defending champions Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 opener will be between Team India and Sri Lanka, marking the commencement of the 13th edition of the marquee tournament with fans eagerly anticipating a competitive clash to set the tone for the rest of the World Cup.
India to Begin as World Cup Favourites
Since India is the host of the marquee event, the Women in Blue are set to begin their quest for the maiden World Cup title with high expectations, backed by home support and a balanced squad. Harmanpreet Kaur-led side is one of the strong favourites to clinch the prestigious title. Certainly, India will begin their campaign as a strong contender when they take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener.
In the build-up to the tournament, Team India players had enough gametime under their belt, including the recently concluded ODI series against Australia and two warm-up matches against England and New Zealand. India won the ODI series against Ireland and England and the Tri-Series by defeating Sri Lanka, but lost to Australia recently. This year, the Women in Blue have played 14 ODI matches, excluding warm-up games, providing ample opportunity to fine-tune their combinations and strategies ahead of the marquee event.
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The focus will be on key players, including Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Radha Yadav, and Deepti Sharma. However, the young talents like Pratika Rawal, Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Goud, and Shree Charani are expected to make their impact, adding depth and fresh energy to the squad while gaining valuable experience on the World Cup stage.
Meanwhile, there was an injury scare in the Indian camp after Arundhati Reddy was struck with a blow on the left knee during the warm-up match against England. However, Reddy was back in action for the second warm-up match against New Zealand and is expected to be fit and available for selection in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka Eye a Competitive Start Against the Hosts
Sri Lanka, who are also aiming for the maiden World Cup, will look to start strong against hosts India by relying on their experienced campaigners, including their skipper Chamari Athapaththu. Sri Lanka have returned to the World Cup after missing out on the qualification to the 2022 edition of the tournament.
Sri Lanka recently played the tri-nation series, but lost to Team India in the final. In the two warm-up matches, they faced a narrow defeat to Bangladesh, losing by just 1 run, while their match against Pakistan was abandoned due to rain, providing limited match practice. However, Sri Lanka boasts a seasoned squad, led by veteran all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu. Athapaththu’s leadership and batting prowess are crucial assets for the team.
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Apart from the Sri Lanka skipper, the squad has an experienced trio of Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani who provide stability in the batting lineup, while Inoka Ranaweera and Dewmi Vihanga add variety to their attack.
Meanwhile, the likes of Kavisha Dilhari, Malki Madara, Vishmi Gunaratne, and Imesha Dulani, alongside Vihanga, are young blood and expected to make their mark in the World Cup.
India vs Sri Lanka Head to Head
India and Sri Lanka are set to face off for the 36th time in the history of Women’s ODI cricket. In their last 35 matches, Team India have won on 31 occasions, and Sri Lanka have won thrice, while one match ended in a no result. This highlights the Women in Blue’s clear dominance in ODIs, making them clear favourites heading into the tournament opener at Guwahati.
The last face-off between India and Sri Lanka in the Women’s ODIs was in the tri-series final, where the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side won by 97 runs at R. Premadasa Stadium, with standout performances from Smriti Mandhana, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues.
Team India will head into the tournament opener as a clear favourite to win the match against Sri Lanka.
Who will win the World Cup opener?
India and Sri Lanka will commence the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, with the Women in Blue entering as strong favourites given their dominant head-to-head record and recent form.
Key players like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti and Renku Singh Thakur have picked their form at the right time in the concluded ODI series against Australia and warm-up matches, positioning India as the front-runners to secure a winning start in Guwahati.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will need a collective effort and a standout show from skipper Chamari Athapaththu, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika de Silva, and Dewmi Vihanga to challenge the hosts in the World Cup opener.