Women’s cricket is expanding at a pace that now exceeds the men’s game in several parts of the world, according to International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta. As the sport continues to attract larger audiences, stronger commercial interest and wider global participation, Gupta believes the women’s game is entering a defining phase of its growth.
His comments come at a significant moment for women’s cricket. England and India are set to play a historic women’s Test at Lord’s, just days after the venue hosted the Women’s T20 World Cup final before a record crowd of 28,887 spectators.
Record-breaking tournament
The recently concluded Women’s T20 World Cup marked another major milestone for the sport. A total of 245,815 spectators attended matches during the tournament, breaking the previous attendance record by more than 100,000.
The final between England and Australia became the highest-grossing women’s cricket match ever, generating more than £1 million in ticket sales, with spectators paying up to £60 to witness the title clash.
Broadcast numbers also reflected the tournament’s growing appeal. UK broadcaster Sky Sports reported more than 15 million viewer hours throughout the competition, while the final reached a peak audience of 678,000 viewers.
India driving global growth
While attendance figures were impressive in England, the biggest growth story came from India.
More than 25 million viewers watched India’s group-stage clash against Pakistan on JioHotstar, generating an astonishing 1.1 billion minutes of watch time. Remarkably, the single match attracted a larger audience than the entire Women’s T20 World Cup held two years earlier.
Those numbers underline why India remains central to the ICC’s commercial strategy.
Gupta, who previously served as CEO of JioStar and negotiated the ICC’s multi-billion-dollar broadcast rights deal in India, defended the governing body’s continued reliance on the Indian market, arguing that the country’s massive audience is helping accelerate cricket’s global expansion.
More global opportunities ahead
The ICC has also expanded its ambitions for the women’s game.
The Women’s T20 World Cup increased to 12 teams this year and will feature 16 teams from 2030 onwards. Meanwhile, the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy will be held in Sri Lanka next year, placing the women’s game on the same four-year global event cycle as men’s cricket.
The transformation has been rapid. As recently as 2016, Women’s T20 World Cup matches were played as curtain-raisers before men’s fixtures. Less than a decade later, the tournament has become a standalone global event attracting record crowds, significant broadcast audiences and growing commercial value.
Challenges remain
Despite the progress, questions remain over cricket’s financial structure.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receives around 40% of ICC revenues, compared to approximately 4% for Cricket West Indies. The imbalance has drawn criticism from several quarters, including West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who questioned the widening financial gap between cricket’s governing bodies.
The ICC has also faced scrutiny over scheduling decisions designed to maximise Indian television audiences, highlighting the continued influence of the country’s broadcasting market.
Even so, Gupta believes the long-term outlook remains overwhelmingly positive. With expanding tournaments, record audiences and increasing investment, women’s cricket is no longer simply catching up to the men’s game. In many regions, it is becoming the sport’s fastest-growing format.
Source: The Guardian
