Overview
- India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final at DY Patil Stadium, posting 298/7 before bowling the Proteas out for 246, with Deepti Sharma taking 5/39 and Laura Wolvaardt making 101 as Harmanpreet Kaur sealed the title with the closing catch.
- The ICC confirmed a US$13.88 million prize pool, awarding India US$4.48 million and runners-up South Africa US$2.24 million, with the Proteas due to return home to a fan welcome at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday.
- Audience benchmarks surged, including a record 22,843 crowd for a group match in Guwahati, over 60 million viewers for the first 13 games, 28.4 million watching India vs Pakistan, and a 4.8 million digital concurrent peak for India vs Australia.
- Reactions poured in from cricket figures such as Sunil Gavaskar, while a viral Instagram video by South African fan Thanja Vuur criticized the absence of prominent national figures at the final and fueled discussion about support for the women’s team.
- India’s celebrations are followed by homecomings — including a grand reception for coach Amol Mazumdar — and confirmed next steps, with an all-format tour of Australia in Feb–Mar 2026 and preparations for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.