Women’s Cricket World Cup: Big brands can gain from India’s big win

At the stroke of midnight on November 3, Harmanpreet Kaur latched on to the red cherry for dear life. The last South African wicket had fallen and India had won the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup. In a cricket-crazy nation, this is a big step for cricket and a giant leap for women’s cricket.

For a sport that has traditionally been a male bastion, this is being viewed as a breakout moment. Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, thinks it is an attempt to degenderise cricket. “It is a long journey, and a lot of ground has to be covered. However, if we were at zero on women’s cricket, it is a very respectable two today,” he says.

Strangely enough, the first women’s ODI World Cup took place in 1973, two years before Clive Lloyd lifted the inaugural World Cup by beating Australia at Lord’s. It has taken over half a century for the Indian women’s team to lift the cup. “There is no doubt this is the biggest win for Indian women’s cricket like what the 1983 victory did for the men’s team,” says Madan Mohapatra, an independent marketing consultant.

The victory is already sparking conversations on brands being interested in the players and Bijoor anticipates a scenario where the big boys will pump money into women’s cricket. “There will also be a host of smaller brands coming in since men’s cricket is a very expensive proposition,” he says.  

According to Mohapatra, the impact of this 2025 win has an impact on three parts—the women’s cricketing ecosystem, the current Indian team and the individual players. “The upcoming auction for the Women’s Premier League will now be tracked closely, with larger cheques being cut,” he thinks. On the ecosystem, his belief is it leading to more commercial viability, building a larger talent pool and more endorsements for the players and the team.

The way the sport is structured in India, a lot of it comes down to the money that goes into it. Bijoor draws a comparison with the Sahara group when they backed the men’s team in the 1990s. “The women’s team needs that one corporate to look at this as a long-term opportunity and invest in it year after year. This is a turning point for the sport in India and well set for that big name to come in with a segmentation opportunity existing,” he says.

Salil Vaidya, Fractional CMO & Founder, Korero Marketing Communications, a digital-first brand management and communications agency, looks at as bigger victory for Bharat and marks the beginning of an era where women power gets a massive boost. “Imagine a cricket-crazy nation being given a reason to be immensely proud for what its daughters have done. That itself is revolutionary and opens the doors for more participation across sports,” he says.

Women are already an influential consumer class in India. “Now their role in industries traditionally viewed as male-dominated like BFSI and manufacturing will gain serious momentum. Brands will have relatable and inspiring women heroes to endorse them and domestic women’s sports leagues is likely to see a surge in sponsorships and marketing investments,” adds Vaidya, who is a former cricketer himself having played with Amol Mazumdar, now the coach of the winning team. As the women’s team bask in the glory, brands will put on their thinking caps. “There is clearly a viable alternative available that exists,” sums up Mohapatra.