Pakistan Women’s World Cup Matches Shifted from India to Sri Lanka Amid Tensions

Lahore: Pakistan’s women’s cricket team will play its matches in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Sri Lanka instead of India. The decision comes in light of the ongoing strained cricketing relations between Pakistan and India, with both countries avoiding bilateral tours on each other’s soil.
Earlier this year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced a hybrid model, allowing teams to play their matches at neutral venues during multi-nation tournaments, including the Champions Trophy. Under this model, Pakistan’s group stage matches — including high-profile fixtures against India and England — will now be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Should Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals or the final, those matches will also be hosted in Colombo. Meanwhile, India will retain hosting rights for the tournament’s opening match and the final (unless Pakistan qualifies), with Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore, and Visakhapatnam named as host cities for the rest of the fixtures.
This shift follows a statement made by Pakistan’s Interior Minister in April, where he made it clear that the national women’s team would not travel to India. He also stressed that it was up to India to decide where Pakistan’s matches would be held.
The tournament is scheduled to run from September 30 to November 2. Australia enters the competition as the reigning champion, having defeated England in the previous World Cup final.
Experts note that hosting matches in Sri Lanka during October could pose challenges due to high humidity and potential weather disruptions.
Historically, Pakistan and India have only faced each other in ICC or ACC tournaments, and recent border tensions have further strained relations — most notably when India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, opting to play its matches in Dubai instead.