Honestly, if you looked at the 2025 women's cricket world cup standings halfway through the tournament, you would’ve bet your house against India.
They were essentially staring into the abyss. After three consecutive losses to the "big three"—South Africa, Australia, and England—Harmanpreet Kaur’s side was sitting near the bottom. It looked like the typical script: host nation pressure, early exit, and a lot of "what ifs." But cricket is weird. It’s a game where a single rainy afternoon in Navi Mumbai can change everything.
India climbed back from the dead. They didn't just qualify; they eventually won the whole thing, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final at the DY Patil Stadium. But before that glory, the points table was a chaotic mess of Net Run Rates (NRR) and abandoned matches that left fans doing frantic math on their phones.
The Final 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup Standings Explained
The league stage was a brutal round-robin. Eight teams, one group, no room for a bad week. Australia, as usual, acted like they owned the place. They finished at the top of the heap with 13 points, barely breaking a sweat except for a single "No Result" that robbed them of a perfect 7-for-7 record.
Here is how the table looked before the knockouts started:
Australia took the top spot with 6 wins and that one rain-affected draw. Their NRR was a massive +2.102. Basically, they weren't just winning; they were demolishing people. England followed closely in second with 11 points (5 wins, 1 loss, 1 NR). They looked solid, right up until the semi-finals.
South Africa grabbed third place with 10 points. They won 5 games and lost 2, showing a kind of gritty consistency we haven't seen from them in years. Then came India. With only 3 wins, 3 losses, and a point from an abandoned game, they scraped into fourth place with 7 points.
The bottom half of the standings was a tough watch. Sri Lanka (5 points), New Zealand (4 points), Bangladesh (3 points), and Pakistan (3 points) all headed home early. New Zealand, in particular, was the shock of the tournament. The White Ferns just couldn't find their rhythm, finishing 6th in a campaign they'll likely want to delete from the history books.
Why the Middle of the Table Was a Total Mess
You've gotta feel for New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The "No Result" matches were a huge factor in the 2025 women's cricket world cup standings. Because the tournament used a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, the monsoon season decided to play as a twelfth man.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka both had three matches abandoned or ended as "No Result." That’s nearly half their tournament washed away. When you’re trying to build momentum, sitting in a dressing room watching rain hit the covers is the absolute worst.
The Numbers That Defined the Tournament
While the standings tell you who survived, the player stats tell you how they did it. Laura Wolvaardt was on another planet. She finished with 571 runs, including a fighting 101 in the final that almost—almost—brought the trophy to Pretoria.
On the bowling side, Deepti Sharma was the undisputed MVP. She took 22 wickets across the tournament. In the final alone, she bagged 5/39. If you want to know why India moved up the standings when it mattered, look at Deepti. She was the glue.
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- Most Runs: Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) - 571 runs
- Most Wickets: Deepti Sharma (India) - 22 wickets
- Highest Individual Score: Laura Wolvaardt (169 vs England in the group stage)
- Best Bowling Figures: Alana King (7/18 - a world-record-breaking spell)
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2025 Format
A lot of casual fans were confused why India qualified over Sri Lanka even though Sri Lanka had fewer losses. It comes down to the win count. India had 3 actual wins. Sri Lanka only had 1. Points for abandoned matches (1 point each) can keep you afloat, but they won't propel you past a team that actually crosses the finish line.
Also, this was the last time we saw an 8-team format. The ICC is expanding the field for the next cycle, which is honestly long overdue. The gap between the top 4 and the bottom 4 is still there, but it's shrinking. Bangladesh beating Pakistan by 7 wickets in the early stages proved that the "smaller" teams aren't just there to make up the numbers anymore.
The Turning Point for the Standings
The match that saved the tournament for the hosts was India vs. New Zealand on October 23. If India lost that, they were out. Period.
It was a rain-shortened DLS nightmare. India had to chase 237 in 42 overs. Harmanpreet Kaur played a captain's knock (69 off 86), but it was Shafali Verma’s early explosion that set the tone. That win moved India to 7 points and leapfrogged them over the Kiwis. It was the slim margin between a national mourning and a national holiday.
Actionable Insights for Cricket Fans
If you're following the trajectory of the women's game after this World Cup, there are a few things to keep an eye on. The shift in power isn't just about Australia anymore.
- Watch the Associate Growth: Keep an eye on the qualifying pathways. The way Bangladesh and Pakistan are developing their seam attacks suggests the next World Cup standings will be even tighter.
- NRR Matters Early: In a round-robin, losing big is worse than just losing. Teams that collapsed (like Pakistan's NRR of -2.651) were effectively out of the running by game four.
- Spin is Still King in Asia: The standings were dominated by teams with elite spin departments. India and England’s reliance on slow bowlers paid off massively on the tired pitches of Navi Mumbai and Colombo.
The 2025 women's cricket world cup standings will be remembered for India's "Phoenix" act, but for the rest of the world, it’s a blueprint of how unforgiving elite tournament cricket has become. You don't just need talent; you need the weather on your side and a world-class spinner in your pocket.
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Next Steps for Fans:
To get a deeper look at the tactical shifts from this tournament, you should analyze the ball-by-ball data from the India vs Australia semi-final. It was the highest successful run chase in Women's World Cup history (341 runs) and provides the best evidence of how the power-hitting game has evolved since the 2022 edition.