Merit in showcasing women's WC in smaller cities: Isa Guha

Hindustan Times

23-05-2025

New Delhi: There's a World Cup on the horizon — but it wouldn't be a surprise if you had no idea. The ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 is set to take place in India in a few months' time, yet there's been little to no buzz. With no campaigns, no build-up and no sense of anticipation in a country that is termed 'cricket crazy', the silence is slightly jarring.
While the lack of attention can be deemed as a marketing oversight, it also appears like a missed opportunity to inspire, grow the game and to give women's cricket in India the stage it has earned.
As Isa Guha, former England cricketer and now a leading voice in the game, recently said: 'This is a huge moment in time because they're going to see all these women playing cricket and go 'Yes, I feel like I can do this.''
'It's something that we learned from the 2009 T20 World Cup in England (they beat New Zealand by six wickets). Perhaps, the foundations weren't there to really try and catch that inspiration as much as possible. And I know that India is looking to try and bid for the Olympics down the line and so one of the key elements of making India a sports-forward nation is to really engage most of the female population.'
India has made big strides with the launch of the Women's Premier League (WPL) and it has expectedly brought in visibility and money to women's cricket. It is also providing legitimacy to the career aspirations of several young women. But a franchise league, despite its success, isn't enough. The World Cup is the sport's pinnacle, after all.
As Guha pointed out, with visibility comes the expectation of skill and investment has led to more competitive matches and higher standards. But the same visibility must now be given to the upcoming World Cup.
Viewers today don't just follow games. They follow stories. They invest in their personal journeys. Yet women cricketers rarely get the narrative build-up that their male counterparts do. This is where broadcasters need to step up and provide context. Who are these players? Where do they come from? What have they overcome?
Guha summed it up well: 'Ultimately, broadcast is entertainment. Viewers connect more when you understand more about their stories.'
An interesting suggestion from Guha was driving the marketing around the World Cup to be timed around the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is currently ongoing. 'It's got great attention right now and it'd be great to get some of the Indian female players talk about the Women's World Cup coming up,' she said.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) already drew scepticism with its choice of venues for the World Cup. With tried and tested cricket centres such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru missing, it remains to be seen if crowds will flock to stadiums in cities like Mullanpur, Raipur, Indore, Thiruvananthapuram and Vishakapatnam.
Matches in smaller cities can help grow the game across the country but a final in a packed Eden Gardens would have sent a strong signal. It's also what the players really want – to play in the big stadiums. The balance, it seems, is missing.
'I would have loved the final to be at Eden Gardens a bit like 1997, when Australia took on New Zealand there in the Women's World Cup final and there were 90,000 people watching. But I do think there's merit in being able to showcase the women's game to different parts of the country.'
According to Guha, hosting the World Cup must mean more than a few televised matches. It must leave behind something lasting. And so, what happens after will also be vital. There must be a great follow-through. If a girl in Raipur or Guwahati is inspired by what she sees, will she have access to quality cricket resources without investment at the grassroots?
India cannot afford to treat this World Cup as an afterthought. The WPL has already lit the spark, hosting a well-planned World Cup in September-October can turn that momentum into a fire. And India must not let it pass by in silence.