The Indian women's cricket team etched their name in history by securing their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup title on Sunday. In a tremendously pulsating final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, they defeated South Africa by 52 runs to lift the trophy. In the wake of India's monumental achievement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a ₹51 crore reward for the players and support staff. 

“In 1983, Kapil Dev brought about a new era and encouragement in cricket by making India win the World Cup. The same excitement and encouragement have been brought by the women today. Harmanpreet Kaur and her team have not just won the trophy today — they have won the hearts of all Indians. They have paved the way for the next generation of women cricketers. Women’s cricket had already reached the next level when our team defeated Australia in the semi-finals," BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said as quoted by ANI.

“Since Jay Shah took charge of the BCCI (serving as Secretary from 2019 to 2024), he has brought about many transformations in women’s cricket. Pay parity was also addressed. Last month, ICC Chairman Jay Shah increased women’s prize money by 300 per cent. Earlier, the prize money was $2.88 million, and now it has been increased to $14 million. All these steps have greatly promoted women’s cricket. The BCCI has also announced a reward of ₹51 crore for the entire team — players, coaches, and support staff”, he added.

Talking about the match, India asked to bat first posted 298-7 following a cracking start with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana slamming 

87 and 45, respectively. Deepti Sharma gave a much-needed boost down the order, scoring 58. Defending the total, India limited South Africa to 246 in 45.3 overs.