5 biggest signs that women's cricket is thriving in India

The rise of women's sports and women's cricket, in general, has been phenomenal to witness in the last few years. There's no arguing that Australia have set the benchmark for the progression of women's sport in their country and the others are playing catch-up.

The likes of New Zealand, England, and India are doing their bit to close the gap to the top with their leagues, namely the Super Smash, the Hundred, and the Women's T20 Challenge. The latter is set to be revamped into the Women's IPL (WIPL).

It's no surprise to see that the Women in Blue are quickly catching up and constantly raising the bar amongst sides other than Australia. Women's cricket in India has been thriving in recent times with a genuine fan following for the game, while also inspiring the next generation of women's cricketers.

In this article, we take a look at five signs that suggest that women's cricket has been thriving in India in recent times.

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#1 India's performances at the international level

The Indian Women's team has a bunch of bona fide superstars in their side, who have proved themselves at the highest level. Inspired by the likes of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, two trailblazers for women's cricket in India, this current generation of cricketers is reaping the seeds sown by the legends.

Over the years, India has grown from stride to stride in the international circuit. Their recent record at major tournaments speaks for itself, with the team playing two of the last three finals at World Cup events.

They even finished as runners-up in the Commonwealth Games last year and also clean swept England in their own backyard in an ODI series. Success on the field has naturally led to success off it, with the sport growing as a whole.

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#2 Packed crowds to witness games

It's not a hidden fact that India is a country of around 1.3 billion people, filled with cricket-frenzied fans. No matter how little or big the occasion, the crowds are expected to turn up in huge numbers to back their side. That was the case last month too, when the Australian women's team came to Indian shores.

With the five-match T20I series played at two venues, the matches saw a considerable amount of crowds flooding in to witness and support their team. DY Patil Stadium witnessed a packed house with over 25,000 fans coming for the second T20I of the series.

In fact, BCCI President Roger Binny also recently stated that the series was a testament to how popular women's cricket has become in India.

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#3 Investment in WIPL

It was a common sentiment around women's cricket for a long that it won't earn a lot of money. The current deal for the WIPL media rights certainly proves that it isn't the case anymore. Viacom18 bagged the media rights for the upcoming tournament for a hefty sum of ₹951 crores.

This essentially means that even before kicking off the tournament, the WIPL is now the third most expensive league in women's sports. It's only behind the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) and the WSL (Women's Super League).

It is only second behind the IPL in terms of cricket leagues around the globe. The commercial growth in women's sports is directly proportional to the popularity of the sport, which is a clear indicator of where women's cricket is heading.

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#4 Current IPL franchises' interest in buying WIPL franchises

The 10 existing IPL franchises have already picked tender documents for the ownership of the Women's IPL franchises. Apart from the existing 10 franchises, 20 other companies have been issued the same tender documents.

January 23rd is the final deadline for companies to submit their bids for evaluation. The teams are set to be announced on January 25. With fast-growing demand and potential buyers lined up, it's clear that everyone wants a piece of the action for the bumper women's league.

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#5 India's performance at the U19 Women's World Cup

Sometimes, the best way to assess the quality and standards of cricket in any country is to look at its grassroots. The Indian U19 Women's side is certainly a step ahead in comparison to most of the competition they have faced in the inaugural edition of the tournament so far.

Led by international superstar Shafali Verma, the team was head and shoulders above the rest of the sides in their group in the first round. This isn't just because of the international experience of the likes of Shafali and Richa Ghosh, but also because of how women's cricket in India is thriving, from top to bottom.

The superstars of tomorrow are putting in the work to succeed in the future, and tournaments like the WIPL will only help them convert their dreams into reality.