The girls are coming back and women's cricket is on fire

It seems 2025 will be a turning point in the history of professional sports in India with Mr. Jay Shah, ICC Chairman, announcing the return of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. There will be a lot of hopes and new opening perspectives to be put in place related to this event, as he claims.

“The return of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 to India comes at a defining moment for the women’s game, setting the stage for a truly world-class tournament that will further elevate the sport’s global stature,” he said.

The upcoming event will surely put a lot of pressure on the shoulders of athletes, organizers, and sponsors. The audience from all over the world will closely follow the event, even risking the money they put on bets.

Online and land-based bookies are already starting to accept bets on the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup related to future outcomes. The UK-licensed and non Gamstop betting sites are all kept in a state of the big event that is going to shake Indian and world supporters.

There will be eight teams in the form of Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Sri Lanka who will take a place in the championship. It will be the first global cricket event in the sub-continent since 2016 when the Women’s T20 World Cup was hosted by India, along with the Women’s World Cup in 1978, 1997, and 2013.

Before the official opening in Mumbai, the trophy tour will promote the event by visiting all the host cities.

For the purpose of the campaign, on the 11th of August, cricket legends Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mithali Raj, and Yuvraj Raj joined ICC Chairman Jay Shah in Mumbai to announce the start of the countdown 50 days on the go before the official beginning in India and Sri Lanka.

During the trophy tour, BCCI and the ICC, in collaboration with stakeholders, will grant free match tickets to schools, providing the opportunity for students across the country to attend the games. Organizers believe that it is a crucial point in spreading national legacy programs and increasing interest in sports among younger audiences.

As Mr. Jay Shah noted in his official message during the press conference, “At the ICC, we remain open to new ideas and are constantly exploring ways to sustain the upward momentum of women’s cricket. Conversations like today’s panel discussion are invaluable in shaping our collective vision and driving progress.

“With just 50 days to go until the start of the tournament, preparations are well underway, and excitement is building. I extend my best wishes to all participating teams as they gear up for the challenge. I am confident they will have an unforgettable experience in India and Sri Lanka.”

The most prominent cricket stars at Women’s Cricket express their hopes and expectations from the tournament in a positive but low-key manner.

India women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur is hoping to win their first ICC trophy.

“This time, I hope we will give our 100 percent and try to break that final barrier that we have all been waiting for. The confidence is very high. The kind of cricket we’ve played over the last couple of years, gives us a lot of confidence,” said Kaur.

Opener Smriti Mandhana agrees with Kaur’s belief on changing the mindset about female cricket in India.

“The mindset has changed over the last two or three years. There’s a calmness with which I want to go about on the field. Our whole team is heading in that direction. We know where we want to work hard. And when we enter the field, we know we’ve just got to implement,” said Mandhana.

Mandhana added that the focus should stay on the present and current efforts that the whole team should put in games, and not concentrate on specific landmarks.

“Whenever we’ve done well (on the field), everything else has taken care of itself. We are preparing really, really well. We’ve had a preparation camp. We’ve had an England tour. We’ve got one tour ahead of the World Cup. To be honest, that’s the only thing we are thinking about.”

Jemimah Rodrigues, one of the most prominent batting lynchpins in the national team, stated that newcomers are also inspired by the advent of the Women’s Premier League. She recalled the epic series wins and the performance of 22-year-old pacer Kranti Gaud, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in India’s 2-1 ODI series win in England with nine scalps that included a six-wicket haul.

“What the WPL has done has given youngsters a platform to perform and get into the Indian team. There’s not as much pressure as on international debut,” Jemimah said. "In this team, we see that. We look at Kranti (Gaud), she’s fearless. That attitude is so nice to see that it pushes each one of us.”

The tournament will be held from September 30 to November 2, 2025 with the first match taking place in Bengaluru between India and Sri Lanka.