New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu meets Indian Women’s Cricket Team captain Harmanpreet Kaur at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday, November 6, 2025. (Photo: IANS/X/@rashtrapatibhvn)
New Delhi, November 7 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the next edition of the Women’s ODI World Cup, to be held in 2029, will feature 10 teams, marking a significant step in the tournament’s expansion and global reach.
The decision, approved by the ICC Board in its meeting in Dubai on Friday, aims to provide greater opportunities for emerging nations and strengthen the competitive landscape of women’s cricket on the world stage.
It comes on the back of India winning the tournament at home, with its 52-run win over South Africa in the final watched by 185 million users on JioHotstar, thus equalling the viewership of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Final and exceeding the average daily reach of the IPL. Overall, the tournament recorded a reach of 446 million, the highest ever for women’s cricket.
“The ICC reaffirmed its commitment to the growth of Women’s Cricket and heralded the success of ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India as testament to its long-standing faith in the Women’s game. Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia, breaking the record for tournament attendance for any women’s Cricket event.”
“The tournament also witnessed viewership growth and new records being set for on-screen audiences across the world, with nearly 500 million viewers in India. The ICC board, keen to build on the success of the event, agreed to expand the next edition of the tournament to 10 teams (from 8 teams in 2025),” said the ICC in its statement.
The ICC Board also ratified the appointment of a number of members of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee, namely Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) CEO Ashley De Silva, India's legendary batter Mithali Raj, India head coach Amol Muzumdar, New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer, England head coach Charlotte Edwards, and Samoa Cricket CEO Sala Stella Siale-Vaea.
The ICC also said it received its first update on ‘Project USA’, which was launched following the suspension of USA Cricket and in line with the ICC’s directive that the commercial and development interests of players in the US national teams should not be negatively impacted by the suspension of the board due to non-compliance.
“The project is focused on building an optimised runway to Cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games and enhancing performance pathways for the US national teams through ongoing participation in ICC Events,” it said.
We were very clear that Shafali was going to play in the final, says Harmanpreet
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur revealed that the decision to include Shafali Verma in the playing eleven for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup final against South Africa was made with absolute clarity in the national set-up.
Shafali, who replaced the injured Pratika Rawal just ahead of the semi-final against Australia, seized her opportunity with a match-winning performance in the final against South Africa. Opening the innings alongside Smriti Mandhana, she smashed 87 off 78 balls to help India post a formidable 298.
With South Africa building momentum in their chase, Shafali struck twice in her first seven deliveries, removing key batters Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp to derail the pursuit. The all-round effort proved to be decisive in India’s 52-run victory to win the World Cup for the first time.
“As soon as she came into the squad, everyone was talking about whether we should play her or not. We knew that she has played in (T20) World Cups before. She has won the U19 World Cup as well. She was familiar with the pressure and the stage, and how important her role was.”
“We were very clear that she was going to play in the final. She can come and bowl those few overs, if we needed. When the partnership (of Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus) started building, I had the thought that we should at least give her one over and see what happens. And instantly, she got us two back-to-back breakthroughs. And that shows how much she wanted to perform for the team, and she did,” said Harmanpreet on the ICC Review show on Friday.
She also went on to praise vice-captain Smriti Mandhana’s innate ability to get runs all the time for India. The left-handed batter smashed 434 runs in nine games, with a stunning century against New Zealand and fifties against Australia and England against her name.
“Her contribution to the team will always be remembered. I remember, all of us, whenever she is batting, we are praying. Every day we are praying that she scores a century. Because when she gets the runs, everything else just falls into place. We have always prayed for the other to get the runs.”
“Those are the kind of things that have helped us get across the line. It’s a team sport. Everyone’s contribution is really important. That’s what we have been talking about since Day 1. That everyone will need to bond together, only then can we cross the line,” she added.
Deepti Sharma was also another pivotal player for India, picking the Player of the Tournament award for her all-round consistency. The seasoned all-rounder topped the wicket charts with 22 scalps and amassed 215 runs, including crucial half-centuries against Sri Lanka, England, and South Africa.
Harmanpreet lauded her contributions, calling her a dependable force who adapted seamlessly to match situations. “We have been telling this to Deepti for years, that you have something special in you. You have to trust that. That you can always contribute with the bat and the ball. And obviously, she’s a great fielder as well.”
“All she needed was a push. Because somewhere we all were feeling that she holds herself back. That she doesn’t believe as much in her ability for the team. I think we should give credit to our support staff, they have been pushing her whether it’s our trainer Harsha sir, Amol sir or our bowling coach (Aavishkar Salvi), they have all pushed her. And it’s because of their push that she has been able to perform so well.”
