The BCCI has announced a ₹51 crore cash prize for the Indian women’s cricket team following their historic World Cup victory over South Africa — surpassing the ICC’s official prize of ₹39.8 crore. The bonus, BCCI confirmed, will go entirely to players, selectors, and support staff, marking a landmark moment for women’s cricket in India.
The win has also sparked a major shift in sports marketing — with brands now recognising the commercial potential of women’s sport. Puma, however, saw this coming years ago. As Shreya Sachdev, Head of Marketing at Puma India, noted, the victory isn’t a revelation but validation of the brand’s early investment in women athletes.
Puma has consistently backed women cricketers like Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma, signing three to seven players annually. Sachdev believes this is the right time for brands — both within and beyond the sports category — to commit to long-term investment rather than one-off campaigns.
With growing fan awareness and recognisable new stars, she says, the commercial and emotional power of women’s sport has never been clearer — making it not just good branding, but smart business.