The growth of women’s cricket is outpacing that of men’s cricket in numerous regions worldwide, according to Sanjog Gupta, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He has emphasized the importance of the Indian market in facilitating this expansion.
The historic first women’s Test match at Lord’s is set to commence on Friday, featuring a clash between England and India. This event follows a record-breaking T20 World Cup final held at the same venue, which attracted a full house. Gupta expressed enthusiasm about the sport’s development in emerging markets as well.
“Cricket is gaining cultural relevance among women in countries such as Brazil, where football dominates,” Gupta stated. “Women are drawn to cricket as a way to establish their identity and find community.” He highlighted that the social aspects of team sports enhance feelings of belonging for communities that may feel disconnected from certain cultural elements.
In developing markets, women’s cricket is becoming a key driver for increased participation and improved performance standards. Gupta pointed out that women’s teams in these regions are often ranked higher than their male counterparts. It is easier for lower-ranked women’s teams to make significant strides, creating a positive cycle of growth.
This summer, the T20 World Cup expanded to include 12 teams for the first time, with plans to increase that number to 16 by 2030. The inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka next year, marking the first time the women’s tournament will align with the men’s four-year global cycle.
The rapid evolution of women’s cricket is evident, especially considering that just a few years ago, the Women’s T20 World Cup was held alongside the men’s event, with their matches serving as preliminaries. Although Australia’s seven-wicket victory over England in the final last Sunday prevented the hosts from celebrating a significant triumph, the tournament itself is regarded as a success, despite competing against the men’s football World Cup and the distractions surrounding the men’s Test series against New Zealand.
The upcoming women’s Test at Lord’s will also serve as a farewell for Tammy Beaumont, the England opener who is concluding her illustrious career. At 35 years old, she has represented England in 260 matches since her debut in 2009 and will retire as the leading female one-day international centurion for England, boasting 12 centuries. Beaumont is one of only two English women and five English players to have achieved international centuries in all three formats and was the first English woman to score a double century, with a remarkable 208 against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2023.
The tournament attracted a record-breaking audience, with 245,815 spectators attending matches, surpassing the previous attendance record by over 100,000. Sky Sports reported 15 million viewer hours during the tournament, and the final drew 28,887 fans, making it the highest-grossing women’s cricket match, generating over £1 million in ticket sales.
On a global scale, the growth of women’s cricket has been even more pronounced. In India, viewership figures for the group-stage match against Pakistan at Edgbaston exceeded the total viewership for the entire T20 World Cup two years prior, with over 25 million viewers on JioHotstar, resulting in 1.1 billion minutes of watch time.
“Every metric has shown significant improvement compared to past benchmarks,” Gupta stated. “There’s a notable shift in global perspectives, making this an era-defining moment. Women’s World Cups are now seen in India as being as significant as the men’s World Cup was in 1983.”
However, the dominance of the Indian market poses challenges, as 40% of ICC revenues are allocated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while only 4% goes to the West Indies, whose captain, Hayley Matthews, highlighted this disparity after her team’s semi-final loss to Australia.
The Indian television market’s influence also raises concerns regarding integrity. Although Harmanpreet Kaur’s team was eliminated early in the group stage, a predetermined draw ensured that India would have reached the semi-finals if they had advanced, complicating scheduling for other teams.
Gupta, a former chief executive of JioStar who negotiated the current $3 billion rights deal for India with the ICC, maintains that such arrangements are essential and will persist.
In a competitive sports landscape that included the men’s World Cup, Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix, and the Tour de France, Sky Sports recorded a peak audience of 678,000 for the final—a small fraction compared to the millions tuning in from India.
“We strive to balance the global audience with those in the host countries,” Gupta explained. “We decided in advance that one semi-final would be scheduled to ensure it aired during prime time in South Asia, a practice we will continue for the next tournament in Australia in 2028.”
“This is not about favoring India but about fostering market growth. During our last men’s T20 World Cup, viewership in India constituted 60% of the global TV audience. Even if India had not won the World Cup, their share might have been around 52% to 55%, still capturing half of the global audience. Our goal is to cater to both local and global interests with all our events.”
