Smriti Mandhana's haldi ceremony transformed into a lively gathering filled with colour, laughter and camaraderie, as her Team India mates joined her to mark the special occasion.
WPL 2026 auction to be held on November 27 in New Delhi
Having retained the majority of their squad, MI will be the team to beat given their formidable batting, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals will be out to spoil their party.
Delhi Capitals opener Shafali Verma has credited the Women's Premier League (WPL) for helping her learn how to build her innings.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's superb all-round showing powered India to a historic first-ever Women's ODI World Cup title after they outclassed South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
The pre-wedding festivities of Indian cricketing icon Smriti Mandhana and music director Palash Muchhal have been the talk of the town all week--a vibrant mix of tradition, music, and of course, plenty of cricket.
At the stroke of midnight, Harmanpreet Kaur created her legacy, "broke the barrier" and declared that this is not the end but just the beginning.
'Now, the girls studying in schools will also want to take up cricket as their career...'
Rana said she had made a "note" on September 27 where she had drawn the World Cup and inscribed that India wold win the trophy this time around.
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
All-round performances from Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma were the crowning jewels for the team in the title clash.
Shafali Verma managed just 108 runs in six matches this year with 33 being the highest.
Harmanpreet Kaur overtook legendary Australian batter Belinda Clark for most runs across all ICC Women's ODI World Cup knock-out matches during the title clash against South Africa, at Navi Mumbai's D Y Patil stadium, on Sunday.
A night before the historic final against South Africa, the Indian women's team captain received a special phone call and it was none other than the history maker himself.
The Women in Blue did more than just win a trophy -- they proved that hard work, and believing in themselves, can turn failure into success.
The franchise chose to retain only former Under-19 World Cup winner Shweta Sehrawat as part of a fresh approach for the upcoming season.
South African captain Laura Wolvaardt said she "couldn't be prouder" of her team's campaign in the ICC Women's World Cup and promised to get stronger in the coming times after they lost to India in the title clash in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
Shafali Verma, dropped from the India ODI squad, has the full backing of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who is eager to see the aggressive opener back in her "zone"
Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Rodrigues among players retained for WPL 2026: Report
The entire nation erupted in joy when captain Harmanpreet Kaur completed the decisive catch to dismiss Nadine de Klerk off Deepti's bowling in the 46th over.
Pratika Rawal made 308 runs in seven matches in the World Cup with a century and a fifty before she was ruled out of the semi-finals and final with injury.
If the men of 1983 gave India a reason to dream, the women of 2025 could give it something rarer -- the courage to live that dream in full daylight, under an open sky that finally belongs to them, points out Prem Panicker.
'Her outstanding performance in the World Cup has definitely added to her brand value significantly. The high WPL bids validate it more.'
India Women's A slip to 93/5 against Australia on rain-truncated Day 1 in unofficial Test
Smriti Mandhana etched a new record to her name, overtaking former skipper Mithali Raj to register the most runs scored by an Indian batter in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup.
He said one of the things the team lacked last season or in the last cycle was some explosiveness at the bottom order.
Amol Muzumdar never experienced the highs of an India cricketer but now he is a World Cup winning head coach -- only the third in the history of Indian cricket after Gary Kirsten and Rahul Dravid.
Pratika Rawal has now received her Women's World Cup 2025 winner's medal, thanks to a personal intervention by ICC president Jay Shah, who stepped in to right the wrong.
India will search for a spark of magic reminiscent of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's legendary knock eight years ago as they take on the mighty Australia in the World Cup semi-final on Thursday.
India joined Australia, England, and New Zealand as ICC Women's Cricket World Cup winners, and, like the latter two, achieved this feat for the first time on home soil.
Harmanpreet Kaur, Smrit Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues are poised to see an uplift of 25 to 35 per cent in brand value.
Shafali, Bist make fifties as India Women A move ahead of Australia
Rawal, one of India's standout performers in the tournament, had injured her right foot while fielding in the deep during the 21st over of Bangladesh's innings. The setback ruled her out of the Women's ODI World Cup before the semi-final against Australia, forcing her to miss the knockout matches, including the final.
Mandhana led the Indian charge at the top, and her partnerships with opening batter Pratika Rawal created quite a buzz in the showpiece event.
India opener Shafali Verma said her no-holds-barred approach goes well with Smriti Mandhana's elegance.
Indian batting icon Virat Kohli hailed the national women's team for the first-ever ICC Women's World Cup win, saying that they deserve all the applause for their historic feat, which saw "years of hard work come to life finally".
India's women didn't just win a World Cup, they won the nation's heart, proving that belief, courage, and grace can turn dreams into destiny.
The victorious Indian women's cricket team led by Harmanpreet Kaur touched down in the national capital on Tuesday evening for its meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
'Shafali is in our system, we have our eye on her and the more she plays she will be able to serve India in the future in ODIs.'
Although sidelined due to a knee and ankle injury during the group-stage game against Bangladesh and forced to miss the semifinal and the final, the 25-year-old opener received a rousing welcome from teammates and fans alike.
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