Women's Cricket Evolution: From the 1973 World Cup to WBBL, WPL and Global Growth

Women's cricket has a history stretching back to the 18th century, but the past two decades have seen the game transformed into a mainstream global sport with professional leagues, record viewership, and a generation of players who are genuine celebrities. The sport has moved from largely amateur, privately funded competitions to ICC-backed international programmes, franchise leagues offering significant salaries, and Test matches played under lights at major venues.

The First Women's World Cup: 1973

The Women's Cricket World Cup was first held in 1973 in England — two years before the men's World Cup of 1975. England won the inaugural tournament, hosted by entrepreneur Jack Hayward and organised entirely by the Women's Cricket Association without ICC involvement. The early women's game was run separately from the men's cricket boards in virtually every country, with no funding from national boards and players required to fund their own travel and equipment in many cases. The ICC formally took over governance of women's cricket in 2005.

The Rise of Franchise Cricket: WBBL and WPL

The Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), launched in Australia in 2015, was the first major women's cricket franchise league and is considered the highest quality women's T20 competition globally. It runs over an eight-week window and attracts the best players from around the world. The Women's Premier League (WPL), India's answer to the IPL for women's cricket, launched in 2023. The first WPL auction saw players sold for enormous sums by women's cricket standards — Smriti Mandhana fetched INR 3.4 crore (approximately USD 420,000). The WPL has significantly raised pay standards for women cricketers globally.

The Stars: Perry, Mandhana, Lanning, Knight

The modern era of women's cricket is defined by a generation of players with global recognition. Ellyse Perry of Australia is considered the best women's cricketer of her era — a genuine all-rounder with over 1,000 ODI runs and wickets who has been the face of the WBBL since its inception. Meg Lanning led Australia to six consecutive World Cup titles as captain before retiring in 2023. Smriti Mandhana of India is the most stylish women's batter in the game, beloved for her elegant stroke-play. Heather Knight has led England consistently and Mithali Raj, before retiring, was women's cricket's equivalent of Sachin Tendulkar as the highest-scoring ODI batter in the game's history.

• First Women's World Cup: 1973 in England — two years before the men's equivalent
• ICC took over governance of women's cricket from the IWCC: 2005
• WBBL launched: October 2015 — first major women's franchise league
• WPL launched: 2023 — India's women's IPL-equivalent
• 2020 MCG T20 WC Final: 86,174 attendance — record for a women's cricket match
• Mithali Raj: retired as the highest ODI run-scorer in women's cricket history

Growing Viewership and Professionalism

Women's cricket viewership has grown exponentially. The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup reached a combined global television audience of over one billion across the tournament — unthinkable even a decade earlier. Central contracts now exist in Australia, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, paying women cricketers professional salaries year-round for the first time. The ICC Women's Future Tours Programme (FTP) now mirrors the men's programme in structure. While pay parity remains a work in progress across most boards, the trajectory is clear: women's cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports globally.