Women’s cricket could see a 30-40% sponsorship uplift after World Cup win

I came across a post on X (formerly Twitter) that stopped me mid-scroll. It showed a man with his back to the camera, wearing a cricket jersey. The name read: Smriti no. 18.

Just saw this. Smriti 18 jersey. :) pic.twitter.com/AT5c0YifB5

— TheRandomCricketPhotosGuy (@RandomCricketP1) November 3, 2025

It reminded me of the JioStar advertisement that had aired before the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup India 2025 began, a film built around a simple truth: the Indian jersey carries the same weight whether worn by men or women. In that ad, crafted by BubbleWrap Films, a young professional hesitates to wear Smriti Mandhana's jersey to work. As he moves through the city, he sees others wearing jerseys of India's women cricketers without hesitation. A lift operator sporting the same No.18 tells him: "Virat khelein ya Smriti, jeetega toh India hi na" (Whether it's Virat or Smriti, India wins anyway).

On November 2, 2025, that sentiment became reality. The Indian women's cricket team ended a 47-year wait, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai to claim their maiden ICC World Cup title. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed a Rs 51 crore cash reward for the team. Shafali Verma, a late replacement before the semi-finals, delivered a match-winning performance with 87 runs and two crucial wickets. Deepti Sharma's all-round performance, a half-century and five wickets, sealed a tournament that had already shattered every commercial benchmark set before it.

While viewership data on the final match is yet to be released, the first 13 matches reached over 60 million viewers, a fivefold increase from the 2022 edition. Total watch-time hit 7 billion minutes, up 12 times from the previous tournament, according to data released jointly by ICC and JioHotstar. The India-Pakistan clash on October 5 recorded 28.4 million in reach and 1.87 billion minutes consumed, making it the most-watched women's international cricket match ever. The India-Australia match on October 12 saw 4.8 million peak concurrent viewers, another all-time high.

Television viewership mirrored the digital surge. The first 11 matches delivered a reach of 72 million, a 166% increase from the previous edition, while viewing minutes surged 327% to 6.3 billion. Since the win, Google Trends recorded over 5 million searches on the final match, a 1,000% growth.

What happened in Navi Mumbai was the moment when women's cricket in India stopped being an aspirational narrative and became a commercial reality.

Revised rate cards on the horizon 

"This win is most certainly the 'Women's 1983 moment,'" says Tenzing Niyogi, Former CEO and League Commissioner of Ultimate Kho Kho. "A watershed moment in women's cricket, this World Cup win is the tipping point and will mark a pivotal commercial and brand inflection point for women's cricket."

When India's men's team won their first World Cup in 1983, it transformed cricket from a gentleman's game into a national obsession. Sponsorships multiplied, broadcast rights became valuable, and cricketers became brands. Niyogi believes this win will trigger a similar transformation, shifting how women's cricket is valued by brands, advertisers, and the public.

The evidence is already emerging. Advertisers increased their spending by 40-50% during the 2025 World Cup compared to previous cycles, with global brands like Google (Gemini, Pixel, Pay) and Aramco committing fully. Niyogi anticipates that there should be a rate card reset in the Women's Premier League (WPL) from this win. “Individual franchisee owner will be able to demand a 20-25% hike in front/back jersey deals.” 

N. Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, projects the commercial impact with precision. "We can expect a 30-40% uplift in sponsorship interest over the next cycle, along with sharper audience engagement across digital and OTT platforms," he says. "Viewership patterns will broaden, men, families, and younger audiences are all tuning in with equal enthusiasm. That diversity of attention changes the economics."

Lloyd Mathias, marketing expert and independent director, observed something telling during the semi-final and final: people were watching matches together in residential complexes and public screenings. 

In Kakinada’s Bhanugudi Junction, groups of men gathered around digital screens to watch the Women’s World Cup final. They parked their vehicles by the roadside, some bringing chairs to settle in for the match. It was a powerful image: men, who for decades have filled streets to watch their male heroes play, now doing the same for women. It is a reminder of how deeply the game had connected with people far beyond stadiums and living rooms.

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"The excitement around this victory is immense, not only because India beat Australia and South Africa, the two teams they had lost to in the league stages, but also because the semi-final and final drew record-breaking viewership," Mathias says. "This momentum will undoubtedly boost the sport's commercial value, with women's cricket finally coming of age. It's now a strong proposition for sponsors and advertisers, and I expect a huge leap in brand value moving forward."

The question now is how brands will position themselves to capture it.

More endorsements and opportunities ahead

For Poulomi Roy, Chief Marketing Officer, RSH Global, this victory was inevitable. “While entertainment has long had its share of role models, sports was the next frontier. The rise of women athletes was a natural progression, fuelled by the country’s collective consciousness,” Roy says.

From a marketing perspective, she believes this shift compels brands to look beyond visibility metrics and viral moments. Women athletes today embody leadership, consistency, and inclusivity. These are values that resonate across gender and geography.

The win creates an opening that goes beyond the traditional cricket sponsor landscape. Brands have already begun responding to this moment.

Abhigyan Shekhar, Founder & CEO of Zupotsu, believes the next phase will see an acceleration in both deal volume and brand responsiveness. “The volume of deals will increase. We already saw new (Omaxe) and existing (Mattel) deals with skipper Harmanpreet coming to the fore. Brands and agencies will get a lot more nimble," he says.

After Jemimah Rodrigues’ semi-final performance, a photo of her dirt-stained jersey went viral, prompting Surf Excel to send her empty detergent bottles with a note urging her to frame it instead of washing it. Puma tapped into the same sentiment with Harmanpreet Kaur, its brand ambassador, who reflected on how her younger self would feel seeing this win, bringing home the point that cricket is no longer a gentleman’s game but everyone’s. Similarly, Omaxe has onboarded Kaur as its brand ambassador. 

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Mathias explains that women's cricket attracts a broad audience, not just women, which means the opportunity extends beyond women-oriented products. Two categories of brands will particularly benefit from this shift.

First, brands that want to associate with cricket but find men's cricket expensive now have an accessible entry point. Beyond that, lifestyle categories that haven't traditionally been linked with cricket, including fashion and contemporary consumer segments, can now align themselves with the energy, freshness, and inclusivity that women's cricket represents.

Chandramouli expects cross-category collaborations to emerge. "We can expect to see cross-category collaborations, especially in finance, education, and lifestyle, that use women's cricket to speak about progress, equality, and confidence," he says. These brands will use the sport to communicate values that resonate far beyond the boundary rope.

RSH Global’s brand Joy Personal Care has been associated with leagues like WPL and IPL for a while now. Roy notes, “It’s not always about immediate sales or numbers; it’s about influence, relevance, and connection. These women have become symbols of leadership and aspiration, capable of shaping how young consumers think and feel,” she explains.

Roy adds that for brands to stay truly relevant, their associations must be grounded in an understanding of what such a moment means for the consumer, and how it shifts perception at a cultural level.

The players themselves will be central to this shift, with their brand value expected to see new highs. Niyogi expects multi-year personal endorsement deals for high-performing players. 

“I would expect multi-year personal endorsement deals of 5-6 crore for high-performing players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Sree Charni and Pratika Rawal with different character narratives for each one of them.” 

The question of which athletes will become brand stories beyond sport depends on a lot more than performance. It depends on the narrative.

Chandramouli shares that each of them represents a distinct narrative. While Smriti Mandhana has the poise and appeal that connect with lifestyle and premium brands, Harmanpreet Kaur embodies leadership and consistency, perfect for trust-driven categories like BFSI or auto. 

Mazhar Gadiwala, Vice President of Sports at Togglehead, points to both their existing recognition and emerging appeal. "Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur already have strong recognition and leadership appeal," he notes. "Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues bring freshness and relatability, which brands love. Deepti Sharma adds consistency and credibility."

Their long-term marketability, Gadiwala emphasises, will depend on authenticity, social presence, and how well they connect with fans beyond the field. 

Mathias believes the victory will create several new superstars. India previously had only a few recognisable names, but now players are poised to become brands in their own right, with endorsement fees rising significantly. However, he believes that these players need to sustain the momentum beyond this win. 

“Their ability to engage with broader social causes and represent values beyond sport, especially those related to women's empowerment, will strengthen their brand appeal and help them stay relevant over time."

Building long-term brand value

The danger with watershed moments is that they remain just that, moments. The challenge for brands, agencies, and rights holders is to convert euphoria into endurance.

Gadiwala anticipates a shift in campaign strategy. "Brands will move from celebratory, one-off ads to more meaningful campaigns," he says. "The focus will be on resilience, leadership, and teamwork, stories that feel real and inspiring. We'll also see more year-round partnerships instead of just tournament-based visibility."

RSH Global’s Roy shares that they intend to continue associations with sports in meaningful and effective ways. “In the coming months, we’ll be working toward initiatives that support women in sports at a grassroots level, beyond logo visibility. We’re discussing how we can create opportunities for young girls to actually play and receive sponsorship support.”

Niyogi points to the strong social media engagement following the win as an opportunity for sustained storytelling, with docuseries or social media series that showcase the athletes' personal emotional journeys, struggles, and triumphs. The power of this moment, he believes, can translate into significant brand awareness if approached correctly. 

He cites Hindustan Unilever's work with Rexona and the #UtroMaidanMein campaign as an example of what sustained brand engagement could look like. His vision extends further: uniting torch bearers of women's sport across cricket and non-cricket disciplines to create what he calls a new 2.0 version of 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara.'

For Chandramouli, sustainability requires treating this as a growth platform, not a celebration moment. He says, "Agencies must build structured visibility plans, annual campaign calendars, performance storytelling, and strategic collaborations with leagues like the WPL. Rights holders need to ensure consistent scheduling, better broadcast production, and data-backed audience engagement.”

Niyogi frames the opportunity in terms of ecosystem development. The win, especially on home soil, transforms perception of women's cricket from niche interest to mainstream entertainment. This shift will lead to more young girls daring to dream big, creating a talent pipeline that leads to the apex where the WPL works to bring commercial value to each franchise and player.

Shekhar adds that the momentum will sustain itself as long as the sport continues to command attention. “Media valuation follows eyeballs,” he says. “As more matches are organised and viewership continues to grow, the ascent will be organic.”

Smriti’s No.18 jersey, once just a name and number, carried new meaning that day, worn by a fan who was showing his support for the team he loved. The jersey represents India. When a cricket fan can wear Smriti’s name with the same pride once reserved for Virat’s, you know the narrative has shifted. The real opportunity now lies in how brands, broadcasters, and the cricketing ecosystem sustain this momentum.