From lakhs to crores: India's women cricketers set for new financial high with increased brand value

New Delhi: Putting in the hard yards on field brought them the long-awaited World Cup trophy and now it's time for India's path-breaking women cricketers to rake in the moolah as their brand valuation goes through the roof.

Top performers like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Jemimah Rodrigues can expect their market value to go up by over 50 per cent, which would translate into endorsement deals of over one crore individually, according to the management firms handling them.

And the brands lining up to make them the face of their campaigns could range from automobile companies to banks to FMCGs alongside the expected deals with athleisure, lifestyle, beauty and personal care and education corporations.

Tuhin Mishra, MD and Co-Founder of Baseline Ventures, which manages Mandhana, Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav, and Karan Yadav, Chief Commercial Officer of JSW Sports, which has Shafali and Jemimah on its roster, were both pumped up about the future of women cricketers in their responses to PTI queries.

"We're seeing a steep jump: 2 times to 3 times in endorsement value for the top tier. Jemimah has moved from roughly Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore+. Shafali has climbed from around Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore+," Yadav said.

"We are expecting anywhere between 25–55 per cent increase for the top players. For players who had standout moments in the World Cup, that number could potentially be higher," asserted Mishra.

"We are also hopeful that this win really solidifies women's cricket in the commercial market, where brands look at long-term partnerships rather than short-term campaign bursts," he added.

Yadav said the increased connect with fans, as evident from the explosion in their social media engagements, has also contributed to the rise in the players' brand value.

"This isn't just because of the trophy. Their visibility, relevance, cultural reach, and audience engagement have exploded. You can see that in social metrics too.

"Jemimah's following has doubled to 3.3M, and Shafali has grown by almost 50 per cent. The bigger shift is that brands now view them as year-round storytellers, not only cricket-season faces. So pricing is beginning to reflect that," he explained.

Mishra said the women are primed to make another breakthrough by endorsing brands which were traditionally promoted by male players.

"We're seeing interest across industries for women athletes in India like athleisure, lifestyle, beauty and personal care and education. But what's encouraging is that top women cricketers are now also entering spaces that were earlier considered male-dominated.

"For example, Smriti has been associated with brands like Hyundai, Gulf Oil, SBI Bank, PNB MetLife etc which have traditionally been male dominated spaces/ industries, which shows that the market genuinely sees value in our women stars now," he said.

Mandhana's endorsement resume is a diverse one and it is only expected to grow given her red-hot form and affable personality.

"Women cricketers today represent authenticity and ambition, and that resonates across both metro and tier-2/3 audiences. So the range of brands is actually quite wide now.

"Some of the other long term associations for Smriti over the years have been Rexona, Herbalife, Nike, SG, Nestle Maggi, Volini etc. She has also been championing the cause of UNICEF for the last few years," Mishra said.

Yadav felt the mix of performance, family audience appeal, and the larger message that they represent, which is "confidence, equality, and modern Indian womanhood", has made them attractive ambassadors.

"Historically, fitness and sportswear led the way. Now we're seeing real demand from categories like banking and fintech, autos, beauty, travel, consumer tech, and digital-first brands," he said.

"The win has shifted them from 'promising' to 'mainstream'. I don't think the idea is to replace male stars. The bigger opportunity is that the definition of star power is changing. It's now about authenticity, purpose, and cultural relevance, not just stats.

"If the current trajectory holds, women cricketers could command 20–25 per cent of total cricket endorsement value over the next few years. That's a real change," he predicted.

The players, who broke bread with Prime Minister Narendra Modi followed by an interaction with President Droupadi Murmu after their historic performance, are also being showered with massive one-time rewards.

Tata Motors has announced that all the players will receive the first lot of its soon-to-be-launched Tata Sierra's top model.

"The Indian Women’s Cricket Team has made the entire nation proud with their extraordinary performance and remarkable win. Their journey stands as a true testament to determination and the power of belief, qualities that inspire every Indian," the company's MD and CEO Shailesh Chandra said.

This is in addition to the steep prize money that their respective state governments have announced after the BCCI's decision to give the squad and its support staff a Rs 51 crore reward fund.