Peak excitement as India’s women eye maiden Cricket World Cup title
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India's Jemimah Rodrigues (front) and Amanjot Kaur celebrating their team's win at the end of the Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 one-day international semi-final match between India and Australia at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Oct 30, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW DELHI – It is a regular net session at a cricket academy in New Delhi, but the joy among the colourful jersey-clad young girls is unmistakable.
They have a shimmering new source of inspiration, after the Indian women’s team pulled off a stunning upset over defending champions Australia in the women’s World Cup semi-finals on Oct 30.
Batter Jemimah Rodrigues slammed an unbeaten 127 as India chased down a record 339 at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium to secure a place in the Nov 2 final against South Africa.
“There is always that one thing that inspires a generation,” said 19-year-old Armeet Kaur, a batting all-rounder who has played for the Delhi state team.
“Jemmy’s innings yesterday was like that. It will really change things.”
Ridhima Chaudhary, 12, was star-struck. “It made me feel like I have to play like them,” she said, adding that she has already been working towards that goal – training three hours a day, five days a week.
“My parents also say that cricket academy is as important as school,” she added.
Coach Sumit Poria called the victory a “turning point” for the sport in India.
“The way the crowd cheered for the team – it’s a shot in the arm like nothing else before,” he said.
While the overall infrastructure has improved in recent years, a big victory like the one on Oct 30 “will go a long way in convincing parents” to let young women pursue cricket seriously, Poria added.
The eight-nation tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, has already broken records.
Data released by the International Cricket Council and streaming platform JioHotstar showed the first 13 matches drew more than 60 million viewers.
That is five times higher than the 2022 edition, which was held in New Zealand.
The India-Pakistan clash in October became the most-watched women’s international match ever, with 28.4 million viewers.
That is still a small figure for the world’s most populous nation, but it shows the rise in popularity of women’s cricket.
India, twice runners-up, are chasing a maiden title in the 50-over World Cup that now boasts a record US$13.88 million (S$18 million) prize purse – eclipsing even the men’s US$10 million prize pool from the last edition in 2023 hosted by India.
In New Delhi, the excitement is tangible. Replica women’s team jerseys sold out online just hours after India secured their final berth.
The popularity is being matched by economic clout.
The wider sports market is booming in India, with its estimated value to surge to US$130 billion by 2030, according to a 2024 report by Deloitte and Google.
Whether or not India lift the trophy on Nov 2, the young cricketers at Delhi’s training nets say the impact is already beyond measure.
India’s women cricketing stars, including Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, have become household names, attracting major sponsorships and wide media coverage.
There is a huge market to tap into.
“Women now comprise 236 million fans – or 36 per cent – of the fanbase,” the study estimated.
“This debunks the notion of a male-only fanbase – and (shows) women’s fast-growing influence in sports.” AFP
