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Cricket – ICC Women’s World Cup – Final – India v South Africa – DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India – November 2, 2025 India’s Harmanpreet Kaur celebrates after winning the ICC Women’s World Cup.
India are the new ICC Women’s World Cup Champions. It was third time lucky for the Indians, as they defeated South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai by 52 runs to lift the trophy for the first time on their third attempt.
India’s openers Smiriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma made an aggressive start after being invited to bat first.
Dispatching South Africa’s bowlers to all parts of the ground, they put on a 104-run opening stand – the highest against the South Africans in this World Cup.
🏏 𝕀ℂℂ (𝕎) 𝔽𝕀ℕ𝔸𝕃 🏏
So close for the Proteas Women 🇿🇦 as they fall 52 runs short in the ICC Women’s World Cup final in Navi Mumbai, where the hosts are crowned Champions 🏆 for the first time.#SABCSportCricket | #CWC25 pic.twitter.com/tBuLUYPdTL
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) November 2, 2025
It was the spin of Chloe Tryon that ended their partnership when she dismissed Mandhana for 54. Verma then picked up the mantle with Jemimah Rodrigues in a 62-run partnership.
She notched up a half-century – her fifth in ODI cricket – before she departed for a well compiled 87.
Rodrigues, however, couldn’t match her semi-final heroics and followed soon after for 24.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma also troubled the Proteas bowling attack. They shared a 52-run fourth wicket partnership before left-arm spinner Nonkululeku Mlaba dismissed the skipper out for 20.
Sharma also went on to score a half-century – her 18th in One Day cricket.
Richca Ghosh smashed a cameo 34 from 24 deliveries, while Sharma finished unbeaten on a run-a-ball 58 that lifted India to 298 for the loss of seven wickets.
South Africa’s openers Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, made a circumspect but solid start to their chase with a 51-run opening partnership.
Brits was the first casualty of the innings – needlessly run out for 23with a direct hit from Amanjot Kaur.
Anneke Bosch followed a few overs later — trapped leg before by spinner Shree Charani for a duck — and the Proteas wobbled on 62 for two.
Once again leading from the front, Wolvaardt at the other end recorded her 39th ODI half-century.
She shared in a 52-run third-wicket partnership with Sune Luus and just as they looked set to take on the Indian bowlers — Kaur threw the ball to part-time spinner Verma.
And she delivered — dismissing Luus for 25 and then following that up with the scalp of Marizanne Kapp for four — reducing the Proteas to 123 for four in the 23rd over.
Annerie Derkson joined Wolvaardt in a crucial 61-run fifth wicket partnership — taking the Proteas past 200.
But Sharma struck to remove Derkson for cameo 35.
Continuing her captain’s knock – Wolvaardt went on to convert her 50 to a superb century – her 11th ton in ODI cricket, but South Africa still needed 88 more runs from 60 deliveries.
Sadly for Proteas fans, the skipper was dismissed for a better than a run-a-ball 101 soon after the milestone and Tryon was trapped leg before for nine in the same Sharma over and South Africa slumped to 221 for the loss of eight wickets.
Not even the big-hitting Nadine de Klerk could stop India’s charge in the dying overs.
The Proteas were eventually bundled out for 246 – handing India a 52-run victory and their maiden Women’s World Cup title.
