Women's World Cup 2025: Landmark Edition Set for Historic Firsts and Record Chases

Women's World Cup 2025: Landmark Edition Set for Historic Firsts and Record Chases

As the 13th edition of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup kicks off on September 30 in Guwahati, fans can expect more than just a contest for the trophy. Co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the 2025 edition is set to be a landmark tournament, with several individual and team records on the brink of being rewritten.

This will also be the final edition with the current eight-team format, as the ICC plans to expand future tournaments. Since the tournament's inception in 1973, only three teams – Australia, England, and New Zealand – have won the title. India and the West Indies, despite multiple appearances in finals, still chase their maiden World Cup victory.

Batting Milestones in the Spotlight

From all-time greats to emerging stars, several players are poised to reach major landmarks:

  • Suzie Bates (New Zealand) is just 322 runs away from surpassing Debbie Hockley’s all-time Women’s World Cup record of 1501 runs.

  • Harmanpreet Kaur (India) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (England) are also in contention, with 876 and 805 World Cup runs respectively.

  • Bates and Sciver-Brunt currently hold the record for most World Cup centuries (4 each). Harmanpreet (3) trails closely and is also just three sixes away from overtaking Deandra Dottin’s record for most sixes in Women’s World Cups.

Player Inns Runs Avg 100s 50s HS
Suzie Bates (NZ) 26 1179 56.14 4 5 168
Harmanpreet Kaur (IND) 22 876 51.52 3 4 171*
Nat Sciver-Brunt (ENG) 17 805 57.5 4 2 148*

South Africa’s Tazmin Brits, with three consecutive ODI centuries, is just one more away from matching Amy Satterthwaite’s record of four.

On flat subcontinent pitches, Alyssa Healy’s record of 509 runs in a single edition (2022) and Belinda Clark’s legendary 229 (1997)* could face fresh challenges.

Mandhana's March to the Top

India’s batting star Smriti Mandhana is in the form of her life. With 928 ODI runs already in 2025, she is just 42 runs short of breaking Belinda Clark’s 1997 record of 970 runs in a calendar year.

  • Mandhana has four ODI centuries this year (matching her 2024 tally), equalling the record for most centuries in a calendar year.

  • She is one international century away from equalling Meg Lanning’s all-format record of 17 hundreds.

  • With 4888 career ODI runs, Mandhana is 112 short of becoming the second Indian (after Mithali Raj) to reach 5000 ODI runs.

  • Across formats, she needs 501 more to reach 10,000 international runs, a feat achieved only by Mithali Raj, Suzie Bates, and Charlotte Edwards.

She has also dominated at home in recent years. Since scoring her first home century in 2024, she has averaged over 70 in India. With 549 runs in six home innings in 2025, Mandhana is 131 runs away from breaking Emily Drumm’s record of most home runs in a calendar year (679 in 2000).

Deadly Duo: Mandhana & Pratika Rawal

Mandhana’s opening partnership with Pratika Rawal has blossomed into one of the most prolific ever:

  • They are the only pair with over 1,000 partnership runs in a calendar year in Women’s ODIs.

  • With 917 runs together at home in 2025, they are on track to surpass England’s Beaumont-Jones (1090) for most home opening partnership runs.

  • Just 14 more runs will see them break the record for most home runs in a calendar year by an opening pair, currently held by Suzie Bates and Rachel Priest (688 in 2015).

Bowling Landmarks in Focus

While batters are set for records, bowlers are in the hunt too.

  • Jhulan Goswami’s record of 43 wickets in Women’s World Cup history could be overtaken by:

    • Megan Schutt (34 wickets),

    • Marizanne Kapp (32), and

    • Ellyse Perry (31).

  • Sophie Ecclestone needs just 12 wickets to become England’s second-highest ODI wicket-taker.

  • India’s Deepti Sharma (140 wickets) is two away from becoming India’s second-highest ODI wicket-taker, behind only Goswami.

Player Matches Wickets Avg Econ SR BBI
Megan Schutt (AUS) 23 34 25.91 4.43 35.0 3/40
Marizanne Kapp (SA) 22 32 22.87 4.56 30.0 5/45
Ellyse Perry (AUS) 25 31 25.45 4.35 35.0 3/19

  • Perry (331 wickets) also needs just five more wickets to become the second-highest wicket-taker across formats, behind Goswami (355).

  • South Africa’s Sune Luus (five 5-wicket hauls) needs one more to equal Anisa Mohammed’s record of six in ODIs.

A High-Scoring Tournament on the Cards

With recent high-scoring matches and batting-friendly pitches expected in India and Sri Lanka, record totals could tumble:

  • The highest-ever World Cup total (Australia's 412/3 in 1997) and biggest chase (278 by Australia vs India in 2022) are under threat.

  • So far in 2025, Women’s ODIs have seen:

    • Most 300+ team totals in a single year,

    • A record 30 individual centuries, and

    • Over 200 sixes – with more to come.

The Final Eight-Team Showdown

Australia, with seven World Cup titles, enter as defending champions. England (four titles) and New Zealand (one) round out the list of past champions. India, with a strong squad and home advantage, hope to break their title drought in what may be the final eight-team edition.

With several career milestones, historic partnerships, and batting records on the horizon, the 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup promises not just exciting cricket but a defining chapter in women’s cricket history.