Women's Cricket Captures India: Record Viewership and Packed Stadiums Signal Historic Shift

The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, currently underway across India and Sri Lanka, has shattered every conceivable benchmark for women's cricket viewership and stadium attendance, signaling an irreversible transformation in how India consumes and celebrates the sport. With over 60 million viewers tuning in to the first 13 matches alone, a fivefold increase from the 2022 edition, and watch time soaring to 7 billion minutes, the tournament has demonstrated that women's cricket has transcended novelty to become mainstream entertainment.​

The numbers tell a compelling story of genuine interest rather than tokenism. The India versus Pakistan clash on October 5 in Colombo became the most watched women's international cricket match in history, attracting 28.4 million viewers and consuming 1.87 billion minutes of viewing time. To put this in perspective, the match recorded 4.8 million peak concurrent viewers on JioHotstar during the India versus Australia encounter on October 12, another all time high for women's cricket. Television ratings mirrored the digital surge, with the first 11 matches reaching 72 million viewers, a 166 percent increase from the previous edition, while viewing minutes jumped 327 percent to 6.3 billion.​

Stadium attendance has been equally spectacular. The tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati drew 22,843 spectators, the highest ever for a group stage fixture at any ICC women's event, breaking the previous record of 15,935 set during India versus Pakistan at the 2024 T20 World Cup in Dubai. The Guwahati crowd witnessed not just cricket but a cultural celebration featuring musical tributes by Papon, Joi Barua, and the Shillong Chamber Choir honoring local icon Zubeen Garg, with Shreya Ghoshal performing the national anthem and tournament songs.​

Visakhapatnam emerged as the tournament's attendance champion, with all 15,087 tickets for the India versus Australia match selling out days in advance. The city prepared for near capacity crowds approaching 26,000 at the ACA VDCA Stadium, threatening to break Guwahati's freshly minted record. Local enthusiasm was palpable, with cab driver and former club cricketer Venkat Nagaraju expressing pride that young girls finally had live role models to dream about. Indore followed suit, selling all 17,859 tickets for the India versus England fixture on October 19. Meanwhile, matches at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai saw 90 percent capacity for India versus New Zealand and 82 percent for India versus Bangladesh.​

The transformation did not happen overnight. The Women's Premier League, launched in March 2023, has been the foundational catalyst for this surge. The WPL's first season drew over 103 million viewers in 2024, with 30,000 spectators attending the final in New Delhi. By 2025, the WPL had expanded to 300 million fans and secured a broadcasting deal worth Rs 951 crore for five years, making it the second most valuable women's sports league globally after the WNBA. Television viewership for WPL 2025 jumped 150 percent year on year, with digital audiences rising 70 percent.​ The WPL created something previously absent from Indian women's cricket, that is, financial viability and aspirational pathways. With broadcast value per game around $1 million and players earning substantial salaries, young cricketers could finally envision cricket as a sustainable profession rather than a passion project. Former India captain Mithali Raj noted that the WPL identifies talented players as young as 17 or 18, with franchises investing in their development and providing visibility that attracts equipment sponsorships and endorsement deals.​

The BCCI's 2022 decision to implement equal match fees proved transformative in shifting perceptions. Women cricketers now receive the same appearance fees as men, which is, ₹15 lakh for Tests, ₹6 lakh for ODIs, and ₹3 lakh for T20Is. While annual contracts still heavily favor men, with Grade A+ players earning ₹70 million compared to ₹5 million for top tier women, the equal match fee policy sent a powerful symbolic message about valuing women's cricket equally.​

The ICC reinforced this commitment by announcing record prize money of $13.88 million for the 2025 World Cup, eclipsing the $10 million awarded at the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup. This represents a 297 percent increase from the $3.5 million pool in 2022, with winners receiving $4.48 million compared to Australia's $1.32 million three years ago. ICC Chairman Jay Shah declared the message simple: women cricketers will be treated on par with men if they choose this sport professionally.​

Several factors converged to create this perfect storm of interest. The Indian women's team's consistent international success, including reaching the 2017 World Cup final and winning seven consecutive Asia Cups, captured imaginations and created household names like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Mithali Raj. The BCCI's promotional efforts, including multilingual broadcasts across five languages on JioHotstar and Star Sports networks, ensured accessibility. The emotionally resonant marketing campaign "Jersey Wahi Toh Jazbaa Wahi" celebrating the unifying power of the India jersey struck deep chords with audiences.​

Technology played a crucial role as well. The proliferation of OTT platforms meant fans could watch matches anytime, anywhere, with JioHotstar providing seamless streaming that attracted the digital first generation. Fantasy gaming integration, though now restricted by regulations, had previously helped onboard new audiences. Regional language commentary broke down linguistic barriers, democratizing access beyond English speaking urban centers.​

The commercial response has been swift. Advertising rates for the World Cup surged, with sponsors like Tata, Ceat, and Dream11 investing heavily. Women now constitute a growing percentage of cricket viewership, with 60 percent of female IPL viewers watching because they genuinely love cricket as a sport rather than following family members. This demographic shift opened opportunities for brands in categories not traditionally associated with cricket.​

The contrast with even a decade ago could not be starker. Early Indian women cricketers in the 1980s traveled ticketless on trains, slept in luggage vans, and stayed at railway stations because they lacked budgets for hotels. The BCCI only assumed administrative control of women's cricket in 2006. Annual contracts arrived in 2015, seventeen years after the men received them. Today, stadiums fill with young girls watching their heroes, franchise owners compete for talent at auctions, and broadcasters fight for rights.​

Yet challenges remain. While stadium attendance for India matches has been spectacular, non India fixtures have drawn smaller crowds, suggesting star power still drives much of the interest. The long term sustainability depends on developing competitive depth across all eight participating nations and ensuring consistent support even when India is not playing. Additionally, while top tier women cricketers now earn respectable incomes through combined match fees, central contracts, and WPL salaries, the gap in annual retainers compared to men remains substantial.​

The 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup represents more than statistical records. It embodies a cultural shift where women athletes command respect not as novelties but as elite performers worthy of prime time television slots, sold out stadiums, and top tier prize money. The genuine interest reflected in these viewing figures and attendance numbers suggests this momentum is sustainable rather than temporary. As ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta noted, making tickets accessible starting at just Rs 100 ensured stadiums filled with energy for the world's best athletes. The turnout proves that when given opportunities, infrastructure, and promotion, women's cricket can captivate audiences just as men's cricket has for generations.