India Eye Maiden Women's World Cup Glory

The winner at the DY Patil Stadium will lift the coveted Women's Cricket World Cup trophy for the first time in their history. It will also be the first Women's Cricket World Cup final that will not feature Australia or England, according to Olympics.com.

Sunday's title clash will be India's third appearance in a Women's World Cup final. India lost to Australia by 98 runs in the 2005 final and suffered a dramatic late collapse against England in 2017, losing by nine runs.

In the semi-finals on Thursday, India defied the odds to end Australia's reign as defending champions by pulling off a record run chase of 339 runs in Navi Mumbai. Jemimah Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 127 to guide India home, while Harmanpreet Kaur contributed a vital 89.

South Africa, meanwhile, will feature in their first-ever Women's ODI World Cup final. Laura Wolvaardt's commanding 169 powered them to 319/7 against England in their semi-final before Marizanne Kapp's career-best 5/20 sealed a 125-run victory.

Jemimah Rodrigues showed nerves of steel to drive India home against the mighty Australians in the semi-final. She is among the top scorers in the Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, with 268 runs from six innings at an average of 67. She also scored 123 when India faced South Africa in a women's ODI match back in May.

World No. 1 batter Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur have also been among the runs, while Deepti Sharma is the joint top wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 scalps.

For South Africa, skipper Laura Wolvaardt has been the standout performer. With 470 runs in eight innings at an average of 67, she is the tournament's leading scorer. Marizanne Kapp, Nonkululeko Mlaba, and Nadine de Klerk have been South Africa's top wicket-takers, according to Olympics.com.

India and South Africa have faced each other 34 times in women's ODIs. India have won 20 matches, while South Africa have come out on top 13 times, with one match ending in no result.

The two teams also met during the league stage, where South Africa chased down a target of 252 with three wickets and seven balls to spare. However, India remain unbeaten at the DY Patil Stadium, having played three matches there in this World Cup.

South Africa, on the other hand, will be playing at the venue for the first time in this tournament.

Squads:
India Women: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shefali Verma, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Ayabonga Khaka, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Marizanne Kapp, Tazmin Brits, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Annerie Dercksen, Anneke Bosch, Masabata Klaas, Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, Tumi Sekhukhune, Nondumiso Shangase.