50 days to go: Cricket’s marketing game shifts to ICC Women’s World Cup '25

The Indian cricket team was returning home from the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup when things changed for the women in the male-dominated sport in India. Despite a notable performance, India had lost the World Cup that year. 

“I was 16 and a half at that time, and I remember the Mumbai Cricket Association had told all the members of the Under‑19 girls team to go and felicitate our girls at the airport and receive them because they were expecting no one to come,” said Jemimah Rodrigues, all-rounder and middle-order batter for the India women's national cricket team. 

"I remember that the team members were exhausted and disappointed because they had come so close to winning, yet it felt so far away. They walked out of the airport expecting no one to be there, but I think that by 5:30 am, the whole airport was packed. At that time, such a turnout for women’s sport wasn’t normal. That was for me the turning point in women’s cricket in India,” she added. 

Cut to 2025, the women’s Indian Cricket Team has a dedicated set of sponsors. Previously, women's cricket sponsorship was typically bundled with or an extension of the men's events, often considered an add-on.

With only 50 days to go until the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, a countdown was hosted in Mumbai, with notable panellists such as Harmanpreet Kaur, the current Indian women's cricket team captain; Smriti Mandhana, the team opener and one of the top batters; and Jemimah Rodrigues, the all-rounder and key middle-order batter.

A second panel of Mithali Raj, former Indian women's cricket team captain, Yuvraj Singh, former Indian men's cricket all-rounder, and Sanjog Gupta, CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), was also in attendance. 

The event also marked the launch of the official Trophy Tour, which will travel through all host cities, along with Delhi and Mumbai, stopping at schools, iconic landmarks, and other venues to encourage women’s cricket in India.

The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 will be held in round-robin format (each team plays against every other team at least once) across Bengaluru, Indore, Visakhapatnam, and Guwahati in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka. 

Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India will be competing with each other for the trophy starting September 30, 2025. 

For the team captain, the World Cup is about “breaking the barrier all Indian fans are waiting for.”

Mandhana highlighted a “massive” cultural shift in small towns, where there is an increasing trend of girls enrolling in cricket academies.

Meanwhile, CEO Gupta remarked that the greater impact lies in "normalising women occupying spaces traditionally dominated by men" rather than just focussing on winning.

“The growth of women’s cricket in many ways is a reflection of the country’s progress,” added Gupta. 

Former captain Mithali Raj advised the team, saying, “More has happened for women’s cricket in the last 10 years than perhaps in the 40 years prior… Seize those crucial moments during the game, because that is what takes you a step closer to what all of us want: hands on the trophy.”

Yuvraj Singh added, “These moments don’t come often. It’s a great opportunity to create history, but that doesn’t mean you start thinking you’re winning it from day one.”

“Play the situation, not the expectation,” he added. According to Yuvraj, every player has to believe, ‘I’m the one who’s going to make the difference today.’ If all 11 believe that, the team will follow.”

As the countdown begins, the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup is not merely another event on the sporting calendar; it serves as a crucial platform for brands, broadcasters, and players to instigate cultural change and create a legacy that endures long after the final ball is bowled.