How Women's Cricket Has Developed In India

India's women person conscionable won a T20 bid connected English ungraded for nan first time. A 50-over World Cup connected their location turf is imminent, which could return nan athletics to fever transportation successful a state that already boasts nan lucrative Women's Premier League, nan 2nd astir valuable women's sports convention successful nan world.

For erstwhile skipper Mithali Raj, nan opportunities and financial rewards disposable to nan country's apical female cricketers successful 2025 are a world distant from erstwhile she collapsed into nan India squad successful 1999, aged 16.

"I was beautiful overmuch emptying my dad's pouch to play for India," she explains during a travel to England that saw her honoured by ringing nan five-minute doorbell astatine Lord's during nan 3rd men's Test.

"There was perfectly nary payment. We had to bargain our ain instrumentality and effort to organise our ain training sessions. There were times erstwhile we'd train connected matting wickets, and past we'd get a week to believe connected nan turf [before a match]."

Cultural and socio-economic challenges were besides prevalent among galore families, who did not want their daughters playing cricket, either because it was deemed a men's crippled aliases they needed their girl to beryllium moving and earning money.

Raj debuted for India 7 years earlier nan Board of Control for Cricket successful India (BCCI) took complete nan administration, pursuing a merger pinch nan Women's Cricket Association of India.

She witnessed nan commencement of a slow transformation, arsenic nan women's crippled began to beryllium amended resourced pinch lucifer fees introduced and entree to apical facilities, specified arsenic nan National Cricket Academy pinch nan champion physios and trainers.

In bid to gain a living, India's nationalist players had to person jobs, astir pinch Indian Railways, arsenic they were "the only institution that gave jobs to women cricketers successful India".

The adjacent game-changing infinitesimal for Raj and her compatriots was nan announcement of BCCI retainer contracts for nan apical 11 players successful 2015. Raj was astir 33.

"If you are from an able family, you tin negociate to play for nevertheless long, because you do not really person to deliberation astir really you are going to tally your house," she says. "But if you are not, you would think, what next? Where americium I going to gain money?

"Contracts gave that information for nan nationalist players. They know, 'OK, I tin play and I tin earn'. That was immense for us."

Raj identifies India's information successful nan 2017 World Cup last against England astatine Lord's arsenic a seminal moment.

It was only nan 3rd World Cup staged nether nan auspices of nan International Cricket Council (ICC), and nan first clip each lucifer of a Women's World Cup was visible either via unrecorded streaming aliases connected TV.

The ICC's integer and societal media channels received a grounds 100 cardinal video views.

"Until then, we really did not person that benignant of coverage," says Raj. "Digital media was comparatively caller successful 2017. It really doubled up nan benignant of sum that women's cricket needed."

India mislaid to nan hosts but it was a ground-breaking match. It was sold out, and according to India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) nan last generated 19.53 cardinal impressions successful India, making it nan astir watched female sports arena successful nan country, beating nan badminton last astatine nan Rio Olympics betwixt PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin.

After that final, nan salary for contracted top-tier world players roseate from a reported 15 lakh to 50 lakh.

By 2020, Star Sports were broadcasting India's matches astatine nan Women's T20 World Cup successful 5 different languages. India's conclusion by Australia successful nan last was watched successful India by a grounds unrecorded mean assemblage of 9.02 cardinal according to nan ICC.

After reaching, and losing, different final, this clip successful beforehand of a grounds crowd of 86,174 astatine nan MCG, nan BCCI raised women's world lucifer fees to beryllium adjacent pinch men's successful 2022.

The women's cricket world had agelong been waiting for nan women's type of nan Indian Premier League (IPL). When it yet arrived successful 2023 it exploded onto nan segment pinch five teams bought for £465m and Viacom buying nan media authorities for £96m complete 5 years.

Smriti Mandhana was nan astir costly player, bought for a jaw-dropping £340,000 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The title turned a profit and contributed astir 3.9%, external of nan BCCI's gross successful nan 2023-24 financial year. That is over-shadowed by nan IPL's publication of 59.10%, but it is vindication of nan BCCI waiting until nan marketplace was right.

The WPL offers perchance life-changing sums for up to 90 players (up to 30 of which could beryllium overseas). Outside of nan WPL however, location are nary contracts for home cricketers successful India, only lucifer fees.

One BCCI charismatic has said players who don't person a WPL woody "fend for themselves". If they are lucky, they whitethorn person a individual sponsor, mentor aliases advocator who supports them financially. Some players whitethorn person jobs successful nan aforesaid measurement that Raj was employed by Railways.

This is nan aforesaid building that exists successful nan men's home crippled crossed India, pinch nary contracts astatine authorities level.

The number of women's retainers has accrued marginally, pinch 16 women awarded successful 2024-25. These contracts require yearly renewal, and don't connection maternity clauses. There are 34 BCCI retainers disposable to men.

In a state of 1.4 billion, wherever nan BCCI's Under-15s girls' title unsocial sees 36 teams and perchance 540 players competing (numbers replicated astatine U19 and U23 level), WPL salary packets scope nan fewer alternatively than nan many. But nan money to beryllium chased has changed attitudes astir girls' cricket.

"Now it is not looked down upon," says a smiling Raj. "Cricket is simply a profession, it's a sport, and everybody is keen to get their girls to play cricket. That's a huge, immense shift."

The crowds and media attraction connected nan WPL has helped to accustom home players to big-stage cricket earlier they play for nan nationalist side.

The tourney besides helps enormously pinch talent scouting.

"India is simply a very large country, truthful nan selectors cannot spell to each authorities and place players," says Raj. "The franchises person scouts they nonstop to each portion of nan country. They prime players who are raw, who person been not seen before, and they get an opportunity."

A clear pathway exists to nan women's nationalist team, done club, district, state, zone, India A past India. However, barriers still remain.

"There is simply a batch of earthy talent successful nan districts and successful nan villages," says Raj. "It's conscionable that they don't person nan accommodation if a young woman successful nan interiors wants to commencement playing cricket.

"The nine successful nan villages - it still needs to progress. And nan financial obstruction is huge. I'm associated pinch Andhra Cricket Association and I went into these districts and location were a fewer girls who did not person money for 3 meals successful a day. The associations person to make an effort to get into these places and springiness them basal facilities.

"But otherwise, to play cricket successful India now, it's acold much unfastened and easier than before.

She concludes: "The adjacent measurement is to adhd a mates much teams to WPL, because location are galore bully players who get near retired pinch conscionable 5 teams.

"And of people winning nan World Cup."

However, arsenic Raj sees it, nan prize that would propel nan Indian crippled guardant exponentially would beryllium Olympic gold, pinch cricket successful LA 2028.

"It's a chance to get a badge for nan country. I cognize we person nan World Cups, but nan badge successful nan Olympics is simply a immense point backmost astatine home.

"The Olympics is nan ultimate."