India secured their maiden ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title by defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on November 2, 2025. South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt scored a century, but the Proteas collapsed to 246 all out chasing 299. The loss marks South Africa's third consecutive World Cup final defeat.
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 final saw India bat first after South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and elected to bowl. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma forged a 104-run partnership, the highest against South Africa in the tournament, with Mandhana scoring 54 before being dismissed by Chloe Tryon. Verma anchored the innings with 87 off 78 balls, her fifth ODI half-century, adding 62 runs with Jemimah Rodrigues (24).
Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 20 in a 52-run fourth-wicket stand with Deepti Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 58—her 18th ODI fifty—and took 5-39 with the ball. Richa Ghosh added a quick 34 off 24 balls, helping India reach 298 for 7. South Africa's bowlers, including Ayabonga Khaka (3-58), restricted India after they reached 166 for 1 in 28 overs, but the total proved challenging.
In the chase, Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened with a 51-run stand before Brits was run out for 23 by Amanjot Kaur. Anneke Bosch fell for a duck lbw to Shree Charani, leaving South Africa at 62 for 2. Wolvaardt, leading from the front, shared a 52-run third-wicket partnership with Sune Luus (25, dismissed by Shafali Verma) and a 61-run fifth-wicket stand with Annerie Dercksen (35, bowled by Sharma), reaching her 39th ODI half-century and then an 11th ODI ton off 98 balls for 101.
Marizanne Kapp scored 4 before falling to Verma, reducing South Africa to 123 for 4. Wolvaardt's dismissal—caught at long on attempting a slog—came soon after her century, followed by Tryon's lbw for 9 in the same Sharma over, slumping the score to 221 for 8. Nadine de Klerk could not accelerate, and South Africa were bowled out for 246 with 4.5 overs remaining.
Wolvaardt, the tournament's top scorer with 571 runs, said: “I couldn’t be prouder of this team for the campaign that we’ve had... [We were] outplayed today. I think India played fantastically well.” India captain Harmanpreet Kaur noted: “Even though we lost three back-to-back games, I always knew this team had something special to turn it around.”
South Africa's government praised the Proteas for their historic run to the final, calling it a milestone that inspires future generations. The team has now lost three straight World Cup finals, including T20 events in 2023 and 2024.