Kula Pradip Bhagawati

In the last five years, the Indian women's cricket team has not just won trophies. It has changed its identity. Gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Gold again at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan (Aichi-Nagoya). And the biggest of all — the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 at home, beating South Africa by 52 runs. Eight-time Asia Cup champions. Back-to-back U19 T20 World Cup champions (2023, 2025). World Champions in 50-over cricket. For a team that was once called "also-ran," India women are now a new force in world cricket. And this rise has a method, not just magic.

The Philosophy Changed After BCCI Took Over
Women's cricket in India came under BCCI only in 2006. For the first 10 years, BCCI gave them infrastructure but not intention. That changed after the 2017 ODI World Cup final loss at Lord's. BCCI made three decisions: Central contracts for women at par structure with men, Same match fees as men for internationals since 2022 and Domestic calendar of 30+ days instead of 12. The philosophy shifted from "let them play" to "make them win." The result is visible in the dressing room.
Earlier, a newcomer debuting for India would be nervous for two years. Now a newcomer comes with WPL experience of playing in front of 30,000 and sharing dressing room with Meg Lanning. The confidence of newcomers has increased tenfold. Look at Titas Sadhu; U19 World Cup winner in 2023. Six months later, bowling to Harmanpreet in WPL, and then debuting for senior India. No stage fright. Because she has already played on big stage.

The BCCI System and Amol Majumdar Effect
Behind every trophy today, there is a BCCI system that did not exist five years ago. NCA dedicated women's camps in Bengaluru. India A women's tours to Australia, England every year. Full-time physios, fielding coaches, data analysts — earlier shared with men. And one name that players mention again and again — coach Amol Muzumdar. He took over as head coach in 2023.
Amol is not a star coach. He is a domestic legend — 11,000 Ranji runs, never played for India. He knows what it means to be almost there. Players say he brought two things- Batting intent: Indian women earlier scored 220 and defended. Under Amol, they chase 300. Smriti Mandhana's strike rate in ODIs has gone from 78 in 2019 to 92 in 2025. Psychological safety: He tells players "You will fail. I will still back you." Richa Ghosh, dropped in 2022, came back in 2023 and became the best finisher in world cricket under him.
The BCCI's good arrangements — WPL, equal pay, A tours — plus Amol's man-management has created a team that is senior plus junior both winning consistently. Senior team won Asia Cup 2022 and 2026, Asian Games Gold 2022 and 2026, ICC World Cup 2025. Junior team won U19 World Cup 2023 and 2025 — the only team to win both inaugural editions. For the first time, India has bench strength. When Harmanpreet was injured in 2024, Jemimah captained and won series in Australia. That never happened before.

WPL: The Brand That Made Cricket A Career
In March 2023, BCCI launched Women's Premier League [WPL].In three seasons, WPL has done what 20 years of marketing could not. Salary: A domestic Indian girl now earns Rs 30 lakh for 3 weeks in WPL — more than she earned in 5 years of domestic cricket before. Brand: Women's cricket is now a prime-time product, not a YouTube link. WPL 2024 final got 12 million TV viewers. Role models: A girl in Assam now sees Uma Chetry keeping wickets for UP Warriorz, and thinks "I can do it."
WPL has established women's cricket as an enthusiastic brand in Indian market. And a brand gives economic empowerment. Earlier, a parent in small town would say "Cricket khelegi toh shaadi kaise hogi?" Now they say "Cricket khelegi toh WPL mein crore ka contract milega."That economic logic is changing women's sport in India.

What This Glorious Victory Means Beyond Cricket
This glorious victory of Indian women's cricket team will give new impetus to environment of women players in the country. In the last five years, the number of registered women cricketers in BCCI has gone from 1,200 to over 8,000. Number of girls playing BCCI U15 has tripled. Help women pursue sports careers — not just as players, but as physios, coaches, umpires, analysts. In WPL 2026, 40% of support staff were women. In 2023, it was 10%.
And the larger picture — the Indian women's athletes' brand will economically empower India in global economy. When Smriti Mandhana endorses a bat, when Harmanpreet endorses a sports drink, when Shafali Verma does a Nike ad — that money comes into Indian sports economy. Women's sports is now not CSR. It is business.
The Indian women's cricket team won gold in Japan Asian Games ongoing, gold in China Asian Games 2022, silver in Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, ICC World Cup in 2025, eight Asia Cups. But the real gold is not in trophy cabinet. It is in Mangaldoi, where a 12-year-old girl now asks her father to buy a bat, not a Plastic Toy Kitchen Set. It is in the fact that for the first time, a girl can say "I want to make a career in sports" in India, and her parents don't laugh. The Women in Blue have won Gold and World Cup. Now they are winning the country.

(Kula pradip Bhagawati is a prominent senior sports journalist from Assam, recognized as the first journalist from Northeast India to cover three major global sports events: the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the Cricket World Cup.)