Diwali will bring more joy to cricket fans, as Women's ODI World Cup matches will enthral them during the festivals later in the year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the complete schedule for the World Cup, with eight teams set to battle it out for the top prize in women's cricket.
India and Sri Lanka will kick the World Cup off with their clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on September 2025. The final will be played at the Bengaluru-based venue or in Sri Lanka's Colombo on November 2. The World Cup will take place across four venues in India - Bengaluru, Indore, Guwahati, and Vizag - and in Sri Lanka's Colombo.
The tournament aligns with festivities in India in the month of October with the auspicious Dussehra and Diwali falling in with the schedule. Dussehra will be celebrated on October 2, the same day as of the Gandhi Jayanti, while Diwali falls on October 20. Bangladesh and Pakistan will play on October 2.
India to play on Choti Diwali, Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh on Diwali
Meanwhile, India will be playing on the Choti Diwali on October 19 against England in Indore. This will be India's fifth match of the tournament in the round-robin stage and it will be a crucial one as the Women in Blue will be in the middle of the tournament and will be facing a strong English side.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will clash against each other on Diwali on October 20 in Colombo. This will be the second last match for both teams.
11 matches in Colombo
It is a bumper time for Colombo too as it will get to host at least 11 group-stage matches and can host two more. The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo will host the first semifinal if Pakistan make it to the knockouts, or else Guwahati will get to host that clash with the other semifinal set to take place in Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium will host the showdown clash if Pakistan manage to qualify for the final, or else the M Chinnaswamy Stadium will get to host the title clash.