In a historic achievement, India’s women’s cricket team secured a T20 series win on English soil for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of women’s cricket in the country. This amazing series went almost unnoticed. That final match drew an incredible 19.53 million impressions in India, making it the most-viewed women’s sports event ever in the country.
The victory is a reflection of years of dedication and progress in women’s cricket, especially following the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) taking over the administration of women’s cricket through a merger with the Women’s Cricket Association of India. This transition has created a very notable route for young female cricketers. They’re able to now move up from clubs to districts to states, to zones and finally onto the national team.
The 2023 inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), which has quickly become the second most valuable women’s sports league globally, underscores the growing popularity and financial viability of women’s cricket. Five teams purchased for virtual £465 million. At the same time, Viacom won the media rights for £96m for the next five years. In this league, Smriti Mandhana became the most expensive player ever, purchased by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for £340,000.
Mithali Raj is a pioneer of Indian women’s cricket. She starred for the national team from her very first match at age of a mere 16 in 1999. She points to India’s showing in the 2017 World Cup final against hosts England at Lord’s. This moment was a tipping point for women’s cricket in India. This groundbreaking event didn’t just boost the visibility of the sport, it sparked a wave of contract shifts for players. After the World Cup, the salary of contracted full-time top-tier international players went up from 15 lakh to 50 lakh.
We hear Raj reflect on her formative years in cricket, specifically how difficult it was for girls to play the sport during that era.
“There was absolutely no payment. We had to buy our own equipment and try to organise our own training sessions. There were times when we’d train on matting wickets, and then we’d get a week to practice on the turf [before a match],” – Mithali Raj.
She further emphasized the economic challenges that a lot of potential women cricketers encounter, owing to their socio-economic status.
“If you are from an affluent family, you can manage to play for however long, because you do not really have to think about how you are going to run your house,” – Mithali Raj.
She highlighted the plight of those less fortunate.
“But if you are not, you would think, what next? Where am I going to earn money?” – Mithali Raj.
With the BCCI increasing support on all levels for women’s cricket, a wave of visibility has quickly followed for female athletes. Society’s perception of these athletes has changed dramatically.
“Now it is not looked down upon,” – Mithali Raj stated.
She accentuated that cricket is no longer only viewed as cricket being a sustainable occupation for women, which is a massive cultural change.
“Cricket is a profession, it’s a sport, and everybody is keen to get their girls to play cricket. That’s a huge, huge shift,” – Mithali Raj noted.
The Women’s Premier League is a great promotional tool to showcase the amazing talent that exists in women’s cricket. It has drastically enhanced the quality of the sport in India. The Mumbai Indians won both the inaugural edition in 2023 and retained their title in 2025, further establishing their dominance in this emerging league.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain. Having cricketers of only a few more women, despite this season’s retainers being lower among the topline players. For the upcoming 2024-25 season, only 16 women have received retainers. Raj reiterated his belief that more investment and support was needed at grassroots levels. This will go a long way towards fostering talent across every state of India.
“The society in the villages – it still needs to progress. And the financial barrier is huge. I’m associated with Andhra Cricket Association and I went into these districts and there were a few girls who did not have money for three meals in a day,” – Mithali Raj remarked.
She pointed to the need for associations to work harder to deliver the infrastructure and support pathways that emerging cricketers need.
“India is a very big country, so the selectors cannot go to every state and identify players,” – Mithali Raj observed.
Add that to the recently released viewership figures of a surging interest in women’s cricket. India’s loss to Australia in the final attracted a record live average minute audience of 9.02 million viewers, the CPA said. This is a significant statistic, in that it highlights the popularity and growth of women’s cricket. It downplays or ignores its ambition to be a third major sporting event.
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