Overview
- India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai to claim their first ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup under Harmanpreet Kaur.
- The BCCI announced a ₹51-crore reward for the champions, and the squad traveled to New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Former players and coaches urged ground-up reforms, citing gaps below the elite level in domestic calendars, coaching pipelines and financial stability for aspiring professionals.
- Sunil Gavaskar cautioned against direct comparisons with 1983 given the women’s prior finals appearances, while R Ashwin emphasized the win’s power to bring more girls into the game.
- Harmanpreet Kaur’s “Everyone’s game” message and the WPL’s growth fed rising public and commercial interest, even as analysts flagged bonus disparities and the need for consistent, year-round support.