Kathmandu, 16, June,

The highly anticipated Women’s ODI World Cup is likely to commence on September 30, with India set to open their campaign against Sri Lanka at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The marquee clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for October 5 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which has been designated a neutral venue due to ongoing political tensions between the two nations. India’s third league match will be played against Bangladesh on October 26, also in Bengaluru.

Defending champions Australia will begin their title defense on October 1, facing New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. They will then take on Pakistan on October 8 in Colombo and play England on October 22, again in Indore.

As part of a hybrid hosting agreement between BCCI and PCB, Pakistan will play all of its matches in Colombo.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will begin their World Cup campaign against Pakistan, and play three additional matches at the VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. They are also set to face Sri Lanka on October 20 in Colombo.

South Africa will play key fixtures against New Zealand (October 6) and Australia (October 25) in Indore.

Due to diplomatic strains, Pakistan’s matches are being held at neutral venues. Similarly, India has opted not to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, and instead will play their matches in Dubai. The PCB has confirmed that Pakistan will not travel to India in the near future either.

Key Fixtures:

• September 30 – India vs Sri Lanka, Bengaluru

• October 1 – Australia vs New Zealand, Indore

• October 3 – South Africa vs England, Bengaluru

• October 5 – India vs Pakistan, Colombo

• October 6 – South Africa vs New Zealand, Indore

• October 11 – Sri Lanka vs England, Guwahati

• October 15 – Pakistan vs England, Colombo

• October 22 – England vs Australia, Indore

• October 25 – South Africa vs Australia, Indore

• October 26 (Afternoon) – England vs New Zealand, Guwahati

• October 26 – India vs Bangladesh, Bengaluru

• October 29 – Semifinal 1, Guwahati/Colombo (based on Pakistan’s qualification)

• October 30 – Semifinal 2, Bengaluru

• November 2 – Final, Bengaluru/Colombo

The tournament will feature a total of 28 league matches, followed by three knockout games. The fixtures will be hosted across Bengaluru, Indore, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Colombo.

India is hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup for the first time since 2013. The format remains unchanged from the 2022 edition — eight teams will compete in a round-robin format, with the top four progressing to the semifinals.

India, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka directly qualified for the main tournament. The remaining two spots were claimed by Pakistan and Bangladesh through a qualifier held earlier this year in Lahore. West Indies missed out on qualification after finishing behind Bangladesh on net run rate.

Source: ESPNCricinfo, ICC,