India has demonstrated a strong performance on their tour of England, securing victories in four out of six matches thus far.
In a historic moment, India’s women’s team recently clinched their first-ever T20 series win on English soil. With the Women’s Cricket World Cup on the horizon, set to be hosted in India, the sport’s popularity is poised to surge in a nation that already boasts the thriving Women’s Premier League, recognized as the second most valuable women’s sports league globally.
Former captain Mithali Raj reflects on the stark contrast between the opportunities and financial incentives now available to India’s elite female cricketers in 2025, compared to her early days when she joined the national team in 1999 at the age of 16.
“Back then, I was essentially relying on my father’s financial support to play for India,” she recounts during a visit to England, where she was honored by ringing the five-minute bell at Lord’s during the third men’s Test.
“There were no payments whatsoever. We had to procure our own equipment and independently arrange our training sessions. Often, we would train on matting wickets and then have only a week to practice on turf pitches before a match.”
Cultural and socio-economic factors also posed challenges for many families, who were hesitant to allow their daughters to play cricket, either because it was perceived as a male-dominated sport or because they needed their daughters to contribute to the family income.
Raj made her debut for India seven years before the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) assumed control of women’s cricket administration, following a merger with the Women’s Cricket Association of India.
She witnessed the gradual transformation as the women’s game received increased resources, including the introduction of match fees and access to state-of-the-art facilities like the National Cricket Academy, complete with top-tier physiotherapists and trainers.
To sustain themselves, India’s national players were compelled to hold jobs, with many employed by Indian Railways, “the only institution that offered employment to women cricketers in India.”
Another pivotal moment for Raj and her teammates was the BCCI’s announcement of retainer contracts for the top 11 players in 2015. Raj was nearing 33 at the time.
“If you come from a privileged background, you can afford to play for an extended period because you don’t have to worry about household expenses,” she explains. “But if you don’t, you’d be thinking about your next step, where you’re going to earn money.”
“Contracts provided that security for national players. They knew, ‘I can play and earn a living.’ That was a monumental step for us.”
The rise of women’s cricket in India with Mithali Raj
Sloppy England beaten by India in first ODI
Raj identifies India’s participation in the 2017 World Cup final against England at Lord’s as a watershed moment.
It was only the third World Cup organized under the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the first instance of every match being broadcast live via streaming or television.
The ICC’s digital and social media platforms garnered a record 100 million video views.
“Until then, we didn’t have that level of coverage,” says Raj. “Digital media was still in its early stages in 2017. It significantly amplified the coverage that women’s cricket needed.”
Although India lost to the hosts, the match was ground-breaking. It was a sell-out event, and according to India’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the final attracted 19.53 million impressions in India, making it the most-watched female sports event in the country, surpassing the badminton final at the Rio Olympics between PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin.
Following the final, the compensation for contracted top-tier international players increased from a reported 1.5 million to 5 million rupees.
By 2020, Star Sports was broadcasting India’s matches at the Women’s T20 World Cup in five languages. India’s defeat to Australia in the final drew a record live average audience of 9.02 million in India, according to the ICC.
After reaching another final, this time in front of a record crowd of 86,174 at the MCG, the BCCI raised women’s international match fees to match those of men in 2022.
Mumbai Indians won the 2025 WPL, after winning the inaugural edition in 2023
The women’s cricket community had eagerly awaited the launch of the women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). When it finally debuted in 2023, it made an immediate impact, with five teams sold for £465 million and Viacom securing the media rights for £96 million over five years.
Smriti Mandhana emerged as the most expensive player, acquired for a staggering £340,000 by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The competition generated a profit and contributed approximately 3.9%, external to the BCCI’s revenue in the 2023-24 financial year. While dwarfed by the IPL’s 59.10% contribution, it validates the BCCI’s decision to wait for the optimal market conditions.
The WPL offers potentially life-changing sums for up to 90 players (up to 30 of which could be overseas). Outside of the WPL however, there are no contracts for domestic cricketers in India, only match fees.
One BCCI official has said players who don’t have a WPL deal “fend for themselves”. If they are lucky, they may have a personal sponsor, mentor or advocate who supports them financially. Some players may have jobs in the same way that Raj was employed by Railways.
This is the same structure that exists in the men’s domestic game across India, with no contracts at state level.
The number of women’s retainers has increased marginally, with 16 women awarded in 2024-25. These contracts require annual renewal, and don’t offer maternity clauses. There are 34 BCCI retainers available to men.
In a nation of 1.4 billion, where the BCCI’s Under-15s girls’ competition alone involves 36 teams and potentially 540 players (numbers replicated at U19 and U23 level), WPL pay packets reach the few rather than the many. But the money to be chased has changed attitudes around girls’ cricket.
“Now it is not looked down upon,” says a smiling Raj. “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.”
The crowds and media attention on the WPL has helped to accustom domestic players to big-stage cricket before they play for the national side.
The tournament also helps enormously with talent scouting.
“India is a very big country, so the selectors cannot go to every state and identify players,” says Raj. “The franchises have scouts they send to every part of the country. They pick players who are raw, who have been not seen before, and they get an opportunity.”
A clear pathway exists to the women’s national team, through club, district, state, zone, India A then India. However, barriers still remain.
“There is a lot of raw talent in the districts and in the villages,” says Raj. “It’s just that they don’t have the facilities if a young girl in the interiors wants to start playing cricket.
“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. The associations have to make an effort to get into these places and give them basic facilities.
“But otherwise, to play cricket in India now, it’s far more open and easier than before.
She concludes: “The next step is to add a couple more teams to WPL, because there are many good players who get left out with just five teams.
“And of course winning the World Cup.”
However, as Raj sees it, the prize that would propel the Indian game forward exponentially would be Olympic gold, with cricket in LA 2028.
“It’s a chance to get a medal for the country. I know we have the World Cups, but the medal in the Olympics is a huge thing back at home.
“The Olympics is the ultimate.”
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