A game that forgot its women

Stadiums are sprouting across the country The BCCI is flush with broadcaster money and franchise fees Indian cricket has never been richer never more prosperous The game is spreading into corners of the country where it once barely reached From Kashmir to Kanyakumari new academies turf wickets and floodlit stadiums testify to a sport at its commercial and cultural peakBut as Indian cricket looks ahead a question lingers mdash has it truly looked back Do the players of the past the ones who laid its foundations receive the recognition they deserveLet me be more specific Cricket has grown yes But has it remembered its women I speak not as a bystander but as someone who has lived this game mdash who has seen its triumphs contradictions and blind spotsAlthough I was born in Kolkata mdash a city I love for its warmth wit and that magnificent cricketing coliseum called Eden Gardens mdash Mumbai has been my home since the day I dreamt of playing serious cricket This city doesnrsquot merely play the game it breathes it The maidans are nurseries of ambition The clubs are crucibles of competition Mumbai cricket runs on pride preparation and pedigreeEdulji was the pillar of the womenrsquos cricket team in the 1970s80s PICXIndiaHistorypicThe city has given India some of its greatest names mdash Vijay Merchant Polly Umrigar Sunil Gavaskar Dilip Vengsarkar Sachin Tendulkar Ajinkya Rahane and last but not least Rohit Sharma Each is a chapter in Mumbairsquos cricketing story mdash marked by discipline consistency and excellenceBut what about Mumbairsquos women At a time when womenrsquos cricket was treated as the stepchild of the sport Mumbai gave us Diana EduljiLady Diana mdash as I like to call her mdash was more than a pioneer She was a force She played when women cricketers travelled with light pockets earned next to nothing and were barely acknowledged by the system Yet she played on mdash for pride for passion for love of the gameDiana learnt her craft playing with boys never asking for favours proving every day that she belonged For a time she was mentored by Aloo Bamjee mdash one of the unsung champions of womenrsquos cricket Diana became the face of the womenrsquos game in India bold uncompromising and unwilling to stay silent in the face of injustice Strong voices are often seen as inconvenient mdash but theyrsquore the ones that make history moveIf womenrsquos cricket in India stands tall today itrsquos because of women like her mdash who stood their ground when no one was watching who played in anonymity and still carried the badge of India with dignityMumbai cricket is as much about its culture as its records The Mumbai Cricket Association has done well to honour its greats Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have stands and statues Therersquos the Dilip Vengsarkar Stand too and one hopes the elegant former captain will have a statue of his own soon Those of us who admire Ravi Shastri mdash the quintessential Wankhede performer mdash hope he too will be recognised in timeBut amid these tributes one name is missing mdash Diana EduljiHer name isnrsquot spoken often enough Not in the boardrooms Not at grand ceremonies where men are hailed and garlanded Not in the narrative of Mumbairsquos cricketing prideWe speak endlessly of womenrsquos empowerment yet cricket mdash a game that prides itself on fairness mdash still remembers selectively These women played without contracts comforts or complaints Their contribution is no lesser than that of the men mdash itrsquos equal perhaps greater when measured by sacrificeThankfully winds of change are blowingThe Womenrsquos Premier League WPL has become a revolution in just two seasons Launched in 2023 it has already changed the face mdash and finances mdash of womenrsquos cricket in India Viacom18rsquos fiveyear broadcast deal worth Rs 951 crore shows that the womenrsquos game is not just viable but valuable Franchise valuations and sponsorships are soaring In 2025 top players earned over R3 crore uncapped youngsters fetched bids close to Rs 2 crore The opening match of WPL 2025 drew more than 30 million viewers mdash numbers once unthinkable for womenrsquos cricketEven more tellingly the WPL ecosystem grew by eight per cent last year while the IPLrsquos value dipped Thatrsquos not just a statistic mdash itrsquos a statement The game is finally paying its women back and the fans are showing upSmriti Mandhana said recently that the WPL has proved womenrsquos cricket can generate serious revenue Shersquos right But beyond money itrsquos generating belief mdash among girls who now see cricket not as a dream but as a professionStill as we celebrate progress we must remember the pioneers who made it possible Diana and her generation played in the shadows so that todayrsquos players could play under lightsIf there can be a Rachael Heyhoe Flint Gate at Lordrsquos there can surely be a Diana Edulji Stand at WankhedeItrsquos time for the BCCI and especially for Mumbai Cricket to honour her as it does to its male legends mdash with the same pride the same permanenceIndian cricket has many heroes Itrsquos time we recognised all of them mdash including the women who played when no one was watching who gave everything to a game that gave them little in returnShishir Hattangadi is a former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain and opening batsman He tweetsshishhattangadiClayton Murzellorsquos Pavilion End will be backSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper