The World Cup features eight top nations — Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan — battling across 28 league matches in India and Colombo. With record prize money of USD 13.88 million, the event also marks a new benchmark in women’s cricket, surpassing even the men’s 2023 edition.
India enters the tournament with momentum. Smriti Mandhana, enjoying the best year of her career with four centuries and a 66-plus average, headlines the batting unit. Support comes from young Pratika Rawal, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma. Bowling strength lies in Renuka Singh’s return and the spin unit led by Deepti and Radha Yadav, though pace depth and injuries to Arundhati Reddy and Amanjot Kaur pose concerns.
Sri Lanka, co-hosts after missing the last edition, lean on Chamari Athapaththu and 20-year-old Dewmi Vihanga, who impressed against South Africa. Their five home games in Colombo, including the marquee India clash on October 5, could give them an edge.
Australia remain favourites with seven titles and a dominant squad under Alyssa Healy, while England, New Zealand, and South Africa are also strong contenders. For India, the battle will be as much mental as physical — overcoming the scars of near-misses in 2005, 2017 and the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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