Harmanpreet, Smriti era sees sharp rise in Indian women's participation in cricket

The golden era of Indian women's cricket team under Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana has seen massive ripple effects. According to a study, participation in women's cricket in India has doubled across 14 states since 2020.

The Harmanpreet Kaur–Smriti Mandhana era in Indian women's cricket appears to be having a ripple effect off the field as well, with participation in the sport doubling across 14 states since 2020, according to a study commissioned by the BBC and Collective Newsroom.

The survey, which covered more than 10,000 women, found that the share of women who say they play cricket has risen from five per cent in 2020 to 10 per cent now. Participation among young women has grown even faster, with 16 per cent of those aged 15 to 24 saying they play cricket compared with six per cent in 2020.

“The research also finds that one in four young women aged 15 to 24 have considered sport as a career option,” the study said.

The rise in participation also coincides with a successful phase for the Indian women’s team, which recently won its maiden ODI World Cup and defeated Australia in a bilateral three-match T20I series for the first time in a decade.

Cricket has now overtaken traditional sport kabaddi by a large margin among women in the states surveyed.

“Cricket has also strengthened its position as the most played sport among women in the states surveyed. In 2020 it only narrowly edged past kabaddi, but the new figures suggest it is now firmly ahead,” the report said.