Big-ticket cricket events are coming India's way thick and fast. India which is set to host the men's ODI World Cup next year, will now also be hosting the women's 50-over World Cup in 2025 as the country's cricket body, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has successfully bid for the mega event during the ICC Annual Conference that concluded in Birmingham on Tuesday.
India will be hosting the women's ODI World Cup after over a decade. The last time India was the destination of the flagship event was back in 2013 when Australia were crowned the champions.
Hosts of three other big ICC women's events were also announced on Tuesday with Bangladesh hosting the 2024 T20 World Cup and England winning hosting rights for the 2026 edition. The inaugural T20 Champions Trophy in 2027 will be hosted by Sri Lanka.
The last big mega women's global cricket event held in India was the 2016 World T20 but that was primarily because ICC used to organise both men's and women's events simultaneously. However, the system has changed with the popularity of women's game increasing exponentially and ICC has segregated the events to procure the proper value for women's game with separate broadcast deals and exclusive coverage.
"We were keen on hosting the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 and we are glad we have won the hosting rights for this marquee clash on the women's calendar," BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying in an ICC release.
"The sport has undergone tremendous transformation since then. The popularity of women's cricket is rapidly rising, and this is a step in the right direction. The BCCI will work closely with the ICC and fulfil all the requirements."
BCCI secretary Jay Shah said: "We are taking several steps to raise the profile of the sport right from the grassroots level and hosting the World Cup will further boost the popularity of the sport in the country. "The BCCI remains committed to women's cricket in India. We have the infrastructure in place, and I am confident we will have a very successful edition of the World Cup." The 50 over Women's World Cup, however, has been a stand-alone event since its inception in 1973, two years before the men's mega event started in England in 1975.
India have hosted the event thrice -- in 1978, 1997 and 2013. Those in the know of things in the ICC felt that it was a prudent call by the BCCI if they are bidding for the 2025 ODI event.
"Since BCCI is bullish about starting the Women's IPL from next season, I think they wouldn't like to hold any other marquee T20 women's event right away. Hence the decision to bid for the 2025 World Cup seems logical," the source said. In the 2025 Women's World Cup, the hosts and five top nations from ICC Women's Championship (IWC) 2022-2025 will get direct entry into the tournament.
The remaining two teams will be identified through a global Qualifier comprising six teams. Out of six teams in the Qualifier, four will be from the IWC (rankings after top five teams) and the other two will be selected according to the ICC Women's ODI Team Rankings.
