The ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 culminated in a historic victory for Indiawho secured their maiden title with a compelling 52-run win over first-time finalists South Africa in Navi Mumbai.

Women’s World Cup 2025: A historic triumph for India

The tournament was a spectacular showcase of the global growth of women’s cricket, marked by high-scoring thrillers and individual brilliance.

India’s campaign, a rollercoaster of dominant wins, a mid-tournament slump, and a breathtaking semi-final chase against Australiaultimately delivered a watershed moment for the sport in the nation.

The final itself was a contest of two titans: the aggressive batting of India’s Shafali Verma (87) and the all-round genius of Deepti Sharma (58 and 5/39), who was rightfully named Player of the Tournament for her consistency, including finishing as the top wicket-taker with 22 scalps.

For South Africa, captain Laura Wolvaardt stood tall, breaking the record for most runs in a single edition with 571, an effort capped by a valiant century in the final. The packed stadiums and record-breaking performances confirmed the 2025 edition as a grand success.

Women’s World Cup 2025 Team of the Tournament

Player Name	Nationality	Role	Performance Summary
Laura Wolvaardt	South Africa	Opener/Captain	Record-breaking 571 runs (Avg: 71.37), including two centuries and three fifties. Led from the front with the bat, finishing as the top run-scorer.
Smriti Mandhana	India	Opener	434 runs (Avg: 54.25), including one century and two fifties. Provided strong starts for India, including a 104-run partnership in the final.
Rodrogus voting	India	Batter	Scored 387 runs (Avg: 64.50) with a crucial 127* in the historic semi-final chase against Australia, showcasing consistency and clutch performance.
Nat Sciver-Brunt	England	All-rounder	355 runs (Avg: 71.00) with one century and three fifties, plus 5 wickets. A pivotal middle-order batter and reliable medium-pace bowler.
Harmanpreet Kaur (c)	India	Batter/Captain	Led India to their maiden World Cup title. Contributed vital runs in crucial chases, including an 89 in the semi-final. Her tactical decisions were key.
Ashleigh Gardner	Australia	All-rounder	328 runs (Avg: 82.00, SR: 130) with two centuries, and 7 wickets. Explosive with the bat and an effective off-spinner, a highly destructive force.
Richa Ghosh (wk)	India	Wicketkeeper/Batter	235 runs (Avg: 39.17, SR: 134) including a 94, and 12 dismissals. Her aggressive lower-order hitting and excellent keeping made her the top choice behind the stumps.
Deepti Sharma	India	All-rounder	Player of the Tournament. 215 runs (3 fifties) and the highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets (Avg: 14.50). Her final performance (58 & 5/39) was monumental.
Annabel Sutherland	Australia	Fast Bowler/All-rounder	17 wickets (Avg: 15.82) and 117 runs, including a 98*. Outstanding pace bowling with excellent economy and match-winning contributions with the bat.
Sophie Ecclestone	England	Spinner	16 wickets (Avg: 14.25) with a brilliant economy. The world’s top-ranked spinner maintained her dominance, controlling the middle overs for England.
Ayabonga Khaka	South Africa	Fast Bowler	13 wickets (Avg: 18.00) and was consistently one of the best new-ball bowlers, providing crucial breakthroughs for the finalists, including 3 wickets in the final.

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1. Laura Wovide (South African): As the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 571 runs, including a record-breaking tally for a single edition and two centuries (one in the final), Wolvaardt was a non-negotiable opener and the logical choice for Captain based on her leadership to the final.
2. Smriti Mandhana (India): Finished as one of the top run-getters with 434 runs. Her ability to provide consistently fluent and strong starts was crucial to India’s success, laying the foundation in nearly every match.
3. Rodrigues Jemith (Indian): A middle-order pillar, she amassed 387 runs and played the defining innings of the tournament—a career-best 127* in the record-breaking chase against Australia in the semi-final.
4. Nat Sciver-Brunt (England): The premier all-rounder, she was prolific with 355 runs at a remarkable average of 71.00 and chipped in with 5 wickets. Her all-round impact makes her an essential number four.
5. Harmanpreet Kaur (India): Selected for her captaincy in guiding India to a historic maiden title, complemented by crucial innings like her 89 in the semi-final when the team needed it most, demonstrating leadership and performance under pressure.

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1. Ashleigh Gardner (Australia): An explosive all-rounder whose strike rate of 130 for 328 runs was unmatched among top-order batters, alongside her ability to break partnerships with her off-spin, bagging 7 wickets.
2. Richa Ghosh (India) (Wicketkeeper): With 235 runs at a striking strike rate of 134 and being the most secure wicketkeeper with 12 dismissalsher aggressive hitting provided the necessary late-innings acceleration.
3. Deepti Sharma (India): The Player of the Tournament. Her all-round performance was exceptional: 215 runs (3 fifties) and the most wickets (22) in the tournament. Her final heroics (58 runs, 5/39) sealed her spot as the premier spinner and all-rounder.
4. Annabel Sutherland (Australia): An outstanding pace bowler with 17 wickets (second only to Deepti) at a fantastic average, she also demonstrated exceptional batting depth, including a 98*, making her a high-value pace-bowling all-rounder.
5. Sophie Ecclestone (England): The number one ODI bowler delivered as expected, taking 16 wickets with an exceptional economy rate, controlling the game in the crucial middle overs for England.
6. Ayabonga Khaka (South Africa): A consistent fast bowler throughout the campaign, she claimed 13 wickets and was a reliable source of early breakthroughs, including a strong showing in the final.

12th man and absence of Marizanne Kapp

Shafali Verma (India) is picked as the 12th man. While she only played a few matches, her Player of the Match performance in the final (87 runs and 2 key wickets) was a game-changer and a memorable moment of the tournament. She came into the XI as a late replacement and delivered a career-best, all-round display on the biggest stage, highlighting the depth and match-winning impact she possesses.

Meanwhile, Marizanne Kapp‘s absence from a tournament’s playing XI is due to a tough competition in the XI and largely due to her bad performance with both bat (4 off 5 balls) and ball (0/59 in her 10 overs) in the final although she had a very strong tournament. She had an amazing tournament, according to her captain, Laura Wolvaardt. She put up strong all-round numbers: 204 runs in seven innings with two fifties, and 12 wickets at an average of 15.33. Her highlight was a 5-wicket haul (5/20) in the semi-final against England, which propelled South Africa into their first-ever World Cup final. She further became the all-time leading wicket-taker in Women’s World Cup history during the tournament, surpassing Jhulan Goswami.

This article was first published at WomenCricket.coma Tezzbuzz company.