Beginning September 30, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 kicks off in three venues across India. The first match is to be played between co-hosts India and Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The much-awaited clash is scheduled for 3:00 PM IST and will set the stage for what promises to be an exciting tournament.
India
India entered the tournament after a demanding warm-up against the world champions Australia. The campaign had gotten off to a somewhat gut-wrenching start, with Rawal, Mandhana, and Harleen Deol all making fluent fifties as they were on the losing side by a narrow margin in the first ODI. The next encounter saw Mandhana(notes=117) and some solid spells from Goud(3/28) and Sharma(2/24) lead India to their most significant win in terms of runs by 102.
The decider turned into a run-fest, with Australia scoring 412: a chase electrified by Mandhana(125 from 63), Harmanpreet(72 from 35), and Sharma(72 from 58). They fell 43 runs short but left with a statement of intent.
In the warm-ups, India slumped to a 152-run defeat to England. It showed its fighting spirit in the last match by acquiring a four-wicket win over New Zealand to grab momentum at the right time.
Sri Lanka
The path to the tournament for Sri Lanka has been more turbulent. Their first warm-up game against Pakistan was washed away, and they lost the second one by a solitary run, against Bangladesh-raising questions about their ability to finish off games in pressure situations.
Taking part in the Tri-Nation Series with India and South Africa earlier in May, they secured notable wins over both sides in four matches, but faltered on the crucial stage, losing by 97 runs to India in the final. Their journey read: a 9-wicket defeat to India, 5-wicket victory over South Africa, 3-wicket victory over India, 76-run loss to South Africa, and then the final loss.
There have been some exceptions, with Harshitha Samarawickrama scoring 203 runs in 5 matches and Dewmi Vihanga taking 11 wickets in 4 matches.
Head-to-Head:
Historically, this rivalry has been extremely one-sided.
Total Matches – 35
Indian Women’s Wins – 31
Sri Lankan Women’s Wins – 3
The dominance of India is very clear, but Sri Lanka proved that they can break it in 2025. The two teams have already faced each other three times this year, India had emerged victorious by nine wickets and 97 runs on 2 occasions That is the moment etched in world memory, especially before this World Cup opener-a memorable three-wicket win by Sri Lanka.
With India going through some testing high-scoring encounters, while Sri Lanka has shown flashes of resilience and somewhere near upsetting potential, the Guwahati contest promises not just the inaugural event of the tournament but also another chapter in an aging fight full of contrasting narratives.
