How To Become A Successful Woman Cricketer In India?

To become a successful woman cricketer in India, you need to start at an early age and show consistent progress

When it comes to cricket, it is the male version that attracts the most fans. However, women’s cricket is also gaining popularity, as evident with rising viewership and tournament revenues. For example, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 had witnessed 192 million global viewing hours and 1.39 billion video views across digital platforms.

Women’s cricket has also become financially rewarding, with contracts and match fees up to Rs 50 lakh per annum. Women cricketers can also earn crores via brand endorsements and participation in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). If you want to become a successful woman cricketer like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, etc., here are some important things to consider.

Start at an early age – It will be beneficial if you begin playing cricket at an early age. Competition is intense, so you must acquire the skill sets at the earliest age possible. Improving your skills becomes a lot easier when you start at a young age, preferably when you are in the age of 8 -16 years. Apart from improving your skills, it is also important to understand the basic rules and strategies of the game.

Get training from a cricket club or academy – While you may continue to improve your skills through street cricket, it would be better to seek support and guidance from a professional. You can get professional cricket coaching from a cricket club or academy. Here, you can benefit from structured training that can improve both your weak and strong points.

You could join cricket academies that are linked to state cricket associations. These are recognized by BCCI and can give you access to state-level teams. Other options include private cricket academies such as Virat Kohli Cricket Academy, Sehwag Cricket Academy, Push Sports Cricket Academy (Delhi NCR), etc.

Increase participation in various tournaments – Along with your physical skills, you also need to develop mental toughness. This will be possible only when you play in various tournaments. You can start with school and college tournaments and later aim for district and state-level tournaments. At the district level, you can participate in U-13, U-16 and U-19 tournaments.

At the state level, you can target tournaments like the Women’s Senior One Day Trophy, Women’s Senior T20 Trophy and the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy. By delivering consistent performance in these events, you can get the attention of national selectors.

Playing at the national level – Your performance at district level and state-level tournaments will determine your chances of being selected for the Indian Women’s National Cricket Team or India A. This is where you would have joined the best of the best in women’s cricket. So, make sure you have your skills fully utilized, which can be in battling, bowling, all-rounder and wicketkeeper.

You can also plan to become a part of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) that was introduced in 2023. Here too, your performance at district-level and state-level tournaments will determine your selection. If you pass through WPL trials or auctions, you can unlock significant fan following and handsome financial rewards.