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Women’s cricket participation doubles in India since 2020: BBC-Collective Newsroom study
The study found that the proportion of women who say they play cricket has risen from 5% in 2020 to 10%. Participation among young women aged 15 to 24 has grown even more sharply, with 16% now saying they play cricket compared with 6% in 2020.
New Delhi: Women’s participation in across 14 Indian states has doubled since 2020, according to a large-scale study commissioned by the BBC and Collective Newsroom. The research also indicates growing interest among young women in pursuing sport as a career.
The study found that the proportion of women who say they play cricket has risen from 5% in 2020 to 10%. Participation among young women aged 15 to 24 has grown even more sharply, with 16% now saying they play cricket compared with 6% in 2020.
Cricket has strengthened its position as the most played sport among women in the states surveyed. In 2020 it only narrowly edged past kabaddi, but the latest figures suggest it is now firmly ahead.
Participation has increased across most regions. All but two of the states surveyed reported a rise in the number of women playing cricket. In Uttar Pradesh, participation has increased tenfold, from 1% to 10%.
The gender gap in cricket participation has also narrowed. The study indicates that for every woman who plays cricket, three men play the sport, compared with a ratio of one woman to five men in 2020.
The research also points to changing attitudes toward sport as a career. About 26% of young women aged 15 to 24 said they have considered pursuing sport as a profession, up from 16% in 2020. The highest levels of interest were reported in Tamil Nadu at 27%, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya at 19% each.
Interest in women’s sport is also rising among audiences. About 51% of respondents said they had followed coverage of women’s sport in the past six months, placing it within 10 percentage points of men’s sport.
Viewership of women’s cricket has increased significantly as well. The study found that 28% of respondents now watch the Women’s Premier League, compared with 15% who watched the T20 Challenge in 2020. The research suggests recent successes by Indian sportswomen may have contributed to the growth.
Audience motivations for following women’s sport have also shifted. Support for the national team is now the main reason people say they follow or attend women’s sport, followed by support for individual sportswomen. In 2020, audiences were primarily motivated by a general interest in sport.
Beyond cricket, participation in badminton among women has also risen, particularly in Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Despite the progress, the study highlights several continuing challenges. Safety concerns remain a barrier, with 13% of women who do not play sport citing safety as a reason. Time constraints are another major obstacle, with 65% of respondents who do not play sport citing lack of time.
Attitudes towards women’s sport also reveal persistent stereotypes. About 43% of respondents said women’s sport is less entertaining than men’s sport. Nearly half, 46%, believe sportswomen should be attractive, up from 37% in 2020. Women are more likely than men to hold this view.
Tim Awford, Regional Director, South Asia, BBC News, said: “It is encouraging to see that more Indian women are playing, following and watching sport compared with 2020. The BBC is proud to help raise the profile of sportswomen across our platforms and remains committed to telling their stories.”
Rupa Jha, Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder of Collective Newsroom, said: “The findings show both progress and continuing barriers. While participation and viewership are rising fast, stereotypes and practical challenges remain. We hope this data will prompt further discussion and action to support women athletes.”
The survey was conducted by global research and insights company Kantar between December 2025 and January 2026. Researchers interviewed more than 10,000 people aged 15 and over face-to-face across 14 Indian states. The results were compared with a similar survey conducted in 2020 as part of the BBC’s Indian Sportswoman of the Year initiative.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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