Mithali, Harmanpreet, Smriti named in Forbes India Celebrity 100 list

India ODI captain Mithali Raj, T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and T20I vice-captain Smriti Mandhana have been named in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for 2019 following the addition of women cricketers as a sub-category among sports personalities.

As the three women cricketers made it to the list for the first time, Raj has been ranked at the 88th position, while Mandhana and Kaur sit on 90th and 91st spot, respectively.

India have narrowly missed winning the ICC Women's World Cup twice - 2005 and 2017. During the latter event in England, the team's performance brought them into the mainstream as the semifinal against Australia and final against eventual champions England garnered the attention of millions back home in India.

Kaur set the stage with her unbeaten knock of 171 in the semifinal. After the mega event, women cricketers were recognised with more money, endorsements and better facilities. The BCCI, too, acknowledged the team's effort and revised the Grade A contract from ₹15 lakh to ₹50 lakh and Grade B from ₹10 lakh to ₹30 lakh. Over the period of time, more matches are being televised which indeed contributed to the popularity of the team and players like Mandhana, Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues went onto participate in global cricketing leagues.

It also helped the players to get better brands. For instance, Raj has a bat sponsorship deal with Laver & Wood, apart from endorsing Uber and Rio Tinto’s diamonds. Mandhana has a bat deal with Hero MotoCorp and endorses Bata, while Kaur is the brand ambassador for ITC’s B Natural juices and has a deal with CEAT.

“Women’s cricket in India had the talent for long. But it was overshadowed by men’s cricket and unstructured. The team didn’t get consistent exposure… there wasn’t a proper domestic cricket structure,” Abhishek Dubey, author of three books on sports, including The IPL Story: Cricket, Glamour And Money, was quoted by Fobes India. “They were waiting for the one big moment, like the 1983 World Cup win for men. That moment came with the 2017 episode.”