Sri Lanka Cricket has rolled out an exciting announcement that is sure to energize fans across the nation: free public entry to all matches of the Women’s Tri-Nation ODI Series 2025, featuring Sri Lanka, India, and South Africa. The entire tournament will be hosted at the RPICS in Colombo, with matches scheduled as day games from 27th April to 11th May 2025.
Each team will compete in four league matches, and the top two teams on the table will clash in the grand final on 11th May 2025. The action begins on 27th April with Sri Lanka vs India, followed by India vs South Africa on 29th April. The month of May opens with Sri Lanka vs South Africa on 2nd May, followed by a second meeting of Sri Lanka vs India on 4th May. The league concludes with South Africa vs India on 7th May and Sri Lanka vs South Africa on 9th May.
The series is not just a treat for fans but also serves as a vital preparation for the upcoming ODI World Cup in September–October 2025 in India. Sri Lanka comes into the series after a 0-2 loss to New Zealand in March. Despite the defeat, Harshitha Madavi impressed with 133 runs, while skipper Chamari Athapaththu led the bowling with 3 wickets. The squad is yet to be announced.
South Africa, who last played against England in December 2024, also suffered a 1-2 defeat. However, Laura Wolvaardt topped their run charts with 155 runs, and Marizanne Kapp dominated with the ball, taking 7 wickets. They too are yet to name their final squad, although a training camp has been conducted in preparation.
India is the only team to have announced its squad. Harmanpreet Kaur returns as captain after missing the January series against Ireland, where Smriti Mandhana had led India to a 3-0 sweep. Several experienced players make their comeback—Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Arundhati Reddy, and Amanjot Kaur—while pace trio Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Titas Sadhu miss out due to injury.
The selectors have also handed maiden call-ups to Kashvee Gautam, N Shree Charani, and Shuchi Upadhyay in a much-refreshed squad. Despite scoring 304 runs in 9 innings at a strike rate of 152.76 in the WPL, Shafali Verma remains out of the squad.
Notably, Uma Chetry, Raghvi Bist, Sayali Satghare, Tanuja Kanwar, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, and Saima Thakor, who were part of the Ireland series, have been left out. In that dominant 3-0 series win over Ireland, Pratika Rawal was the top run-scorer with 310 runs, while Deepti Sharma led with 7 wickets.
With a mix of emerging talent and seasoned players, national pride on the line, and the looming World Cup adding intensity, this tri-nation series promises explosive cricket.
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