Datanomics: World Cup victory set to make women's cricket a mass sport

The total prize pool for the 2025 women world cup edition was $13.88 million against $10 million for the 2023 men's world cup

The Indian women’s cricket team’s maiden victory in the ICC Women’s World Cup on November 2 is poised to boost the team’s popularity, fan following, and the performers’ brand value. This triumph is more than a sporting achievement — it symbolises the transition from a time of no sponsors and meagre match fees to now, when the women’s team is receiving nearly ₹40 crore on winning the tournament. The total prize pool for the 2025 women's world cup was $13.88 million, against $10 million for the 2023 men’s world cup.

 

Smriti Mandhana tops popularity charts

 

Smriti Mandhana was the most popular among Indian women cricketers in terms of digital presence, with over 10 million search volumes and 0.23 million social conversations in 2024. Harmanpreet Kaur, the winning captain, was second in social conversations, while trailblazing former cricketer Mithali Raj trailed Mandhana in search volumes. 

 

Persistent pay gap

 

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced equal match fees for men and women cricketers in 2022, there is a stark difference in the annual contracts. 

 

Note: There is no A+ contract for women cricketers. Cricketers with an A+ contract are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Women cricketers with an A category contract as of today are Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma.