With an unprecedented 28.4 million viewers and 1.87 billion minutes of consumption across platforms, the India-Pakistan match at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo became the most-watched women’s international cricket match ever.
It also emerged as the highest-rated league stage fixture in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup history. This surge in digital viewing surpasses all prior records for the women’s game and contributes to the rivalry’s status as a significant event in international sports.
The exponential boost in viewership wasn’t just restricted to an India Vs Pakistan clash; it also reflected in the clash of the two heavy-weights, India vs Australia, reaching an all-time high of 4.8 million concurrent viewers on Jio Hotstar for the women’s game.
The Indian openers Pratika Rawal (75 off 96 balls) and Smriti Mandhana (80 off 66 balls) didn’t just returned to their routine of laying a solid platform at the top of the order for India, but also displayed their elegance and flair, registering the highest-ever opening stand (155) against Australia by any side in a World Cup fixture.
Defending the total of 330, the Indian bowlers aided by some exceptional brilliance in the field kept the fight on for the home side, till the very end, making the Australians sweat it out for each run, until Ellyse Perry returned despite an injury scare, and guided them over the line with 3 wickets in hand, recording the highest successful run chase in the format in the women’s game.
To put these figures into perspective, the first 13 games of the 2025 World Cup drew over 60 million viewers, a five-fold increase over the previous edition, and a staggering 7 billion minutes of total viewing time, a twelve-fold increase. Additionally, despite a 327% increase in viewing minutes to 6.3 billion, the first 11 matches, including India’s matches, attracted a combined audience of 72 million viewers, a 166% increase from 2022.
With the addition of Indian Sign Language coverage for the first time, broadcast innovations made the match available in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. Millions of homes were able to watch the game thanks to its inclusivity, which sparked a social media and online discussion among fans in India and beyond as they shared highlights and celebrated special moments.
At its heart, the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup has transcended numbers, it has rewritten the emotional and cultural connect of women’s cricket with its audience. The unmatched viewership surge, driven by India’s gripping encounters and technological inclusivity, signals a defining shift in how fans consume and celebrate the women’s game.
What once thrived in niche corners of sporting discourse now stands at the center of global attention, powered by storytelling, rivalries, and collective pride. As millions tune in not just to watch but to belong, the women’s game is no longer chasing milestones, it is setting them, bold and unapologetically visible on the world’s largest screens.
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