As India’s Women in Blue shines brilliantly across the world in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, they serve as an example of what can be accomplished when possibilities and aids are made obtainable to everyone, despite their gender. Women’s cricket has come a long way in the battle.
The first documented match of women’s cricket was registered on 26 July 1745 when a match was contested between eleven maids of Bramley and eleven maids of Hambledon.
The transition of women’s cricket has seen substantial transformations in structure, rules, and playing technique. Originally, the regulations for women’s cricket were the same as for men’s cricket, but several changes were made to fit the requirements and capabilities of female cricketers over time. For example, the time duration of women cricket match was lowered to adjust to the players’ fitness levels.
In terms of format, women’s cricket has witnessed a lot of experimentation and creation. The announcement of the Twenty20 (T20) structure has been a game-changer, proposing more thrilling and fast-paced matches, which has helped to grow the sport’s popularity among women. The recent intro of the Hundred formats has also welcomed favorable reviews.
However, it has not been like this forever. Women’s cricket in India has been a long-standing and underappreciated element of the country’s sports culture. Although cricket is widely regarded as a religion in India and the cricketers are honored and glorified like gods, the women’s side of the sport has been greatly neglected for far too long. However, this is transforming, and women’s cricket in India is finally getting the credit and praise it deserves.
The journey of women’s cricket in India started in the early 1970s when a few devoted and devoted women took up the sport. In 1973, the Women’s Cricket Association of India was officially registered and became an associate of the International Women’s Cricket Council. This gave women players a platform to showcase their talents and grow their careers. Over the years, the sport has evolved immensely, and the Indian women’s cricket team has made significant strides in terms of performance and recognition.
The Indian under-19 women’s team advanced to the final stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup in South Africa. T20 is cricket’s most commercially feasible structure. The lack of a WPL meant that Indian women’s cricket was short-changed as BCCI’s attention was concentrated almost wholly on men’s cricket.
The undiscovered potential in women’s cricket was highlighted by two characteristics of the WPL auction. Leveraging the commercial potential will boost the women cricketers in much the same manner as it did for men. It will now deliver livelihood prospects for a far larger collection of players. The corresponding result will be more funds and wealth for the domestic system. The composite product will rub off on the international performances of the Indian women’s team.
The Women’s Premier League is one of the biggest accomplishments of women in the sports world. Women cricket players are not given the same priority and preference as men. The five initial Women’s Premier League franchises were sold for a whopping US$572.78 million. It observed a momentous and noteworthy point in the history of all cricket.
This is an identification of the value and money-making possibility of the women’s game as well as an impactful moment in the journey towards gender equality. With teams running for a moderate cost of nearly US$115 million, the WPL is going to be the second-most expensive cricket league in the world, men’s or women’s.
While by now every sports fanatic is habituated to absurd numbers being cited around sporting franchises, individuals, and tournaments, it is still a dizzying sum of money for women’s sports. On top of what the franchises have been traded for, it was reported earlier this month that Viacom had decided on a US$116 million deal with the BCCI to publicize the tournament for the subsequent five years. That is an average of US$1 million per game with the current five franchises.
Only the WNBA and Women’s Super League can claim more costly broadcast agreements in women’s sports. With sponsor deals still yet to be disclosed, the WPL could be worth nearly US$1 billion by the time it commences later this year.
But more than that, it shows a level of anticipation rather than desire that the league will earn money. There is substantial risk involved with funding those sums, and the readiness of the owners to accept that risk shows an assurance of a return on investment.
WPL has been seen as one of the greatest breakthroughs in Indian cricket history. It is the outcome of the long war that women have fought over time. Many of the great female players have lived in the shadows of famous male cricketers.
However, generations led by great women like Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, and Jhulan Goswami, denied being crushed even when they were thrashed with misogynist remarks.
All in all, it can be seen that it is almost impossible to stress every single one of women’s accomplishments in cricket ICC women’s.
There are still many voids like the absence of non-white women in the cricket world.
It was not easy to start co=nducting women match in India, initially. But time has changed, and people have started believing in equality.
Wrapping Up
There is still a long path to cover before women’s cricket can be seen and given an equal footing as the men’s game. Women cricket match still obtain less media coverage, the female players are paid less than the men’s team. This is not the case in cricket only but in every sport. Men now hugely outnumber females in areas, be it coaching, umpiring, or management roles.
However, this displays how long the women have traveled since their first recorded match in 1745. It is hoped that making the history of women’s cricket more visible and noticeable will help pave the way to a brighter and more successful future for women in the sport.
