Senior Women’s T20 Trophy

2024-2025 Edition

Mumbai won their second title in a row in the 2024–2025 season, beating Bengal in a thrilling final at Wankhede Stadium on November 12, 2024. Mumbai, which was led by Jemimah Rodrigues, beat strong teams like Railways and Uttarakhand in the knockout rounds. Bangladesh's Tanusree Sarkar stood out, hitting 283 runs at a strike rate of 114.11, and her team's leader, Saika Ishaque, took 13 wickets at an economy rate of 3.61. Mumbai's back-to-back wins solidified their dominance and made for interesting storylines, while Bengal's rise as a strong rival captivated fans. Several players who competed in the event went on to sign WPL contracts, which shows that it is an effective way to find new players.

There were 37 teams in the 2024–2025 season, split into five groups. Groups A and B each had eight teams, and Groups C, D, and E each had seven. Each team played one round-robin match in its group. The top two teams went to the knockout rounds, which included the pre-quarterfinals, quarterfinals, semi-finals, and final. The number of teams that made it to the knockouts dropped from eleven in the previous season to ten. The rules, which were in line with ICC standards and changed because of the rain, made sure that everyone played fairly, and key matches were saved for special days. In the semi-finals and finals, the use of DRS made umpire choices more accurate, which changed the outcome of close games. The Elite and Plate League system was tested in small groups, but it wasn't fully put into place yet. This set the stage for its official adoption in 2025–2026.

The tournaments that came before it had a big impact on how women's cricket is played in India now. They gave skilled players a chance to show what they could do and get the attention of national officials. This had a direct effect on the talent pool for the Indian women's national team. The tournament's success has also changed the way media and marketing work in general. The event has gone from being a small local competition to a major sports event thanks to more media coverage, television partnerships, and marketing deals. The huge promise of women's cricket and its ability to draw and keep an audience has been shown by the growing crowds and active fans.

The Senior Women's T20 Trophy has grown a lot with the help of money and political support from the BCCI. Because the board wants to promote women's cricket, the players now have better venues, more prize money, and better equipment. This has produced a positive feedback loop where better players and more competitive games draw more fans, who then bring in more investors. The success of the event shows that women's cricket can do well in a cricket-crazy country like India if it gets the right kind of backing and publicity. From the first season to now, it's been an amazing journey that has paved the way for a bright future for women's cricket in the country.

Earlier Editions

Details of the 2008-09 season are not fully recorded, but it marked the early stages of the Senior Women's T20 Trophy in India.

2009-10: The 2009-10 season saw Railways triumph over Maharashtra in the final. Thirush Kamini from Tamil Nadu was the leading run-scorer with 339 runs, while Soniya Dabir of Maharashtra topped the wicket-taking charts with 16 wickets.

2010-11: Bengal emerged as champions in the 2010-11 season, defeating Hyderabad in the final. Mamatha Kanojia from Hyderabad was the leading run-scorer with 283 runs. Three bowlers shared the top spot for wickets: Annyesha Maitra (Bengal), Poonam Jagtap (Maharashtra), and Seema Pujare (Mumbai), each taking 14 wickets.

2011-12: Railways claimed the title once again in the 2011-12 season, with Delhi as the runners-up. Jaya Sharma of Delhi was the leading run-scorer with 318 runs. Rasanara Parwin from Odisha took the most wickets, totaling 15.

2012-13: In the 2012-13 season, Railways continued their dominance, defeating Hyderabad in the final. Smriti Mandhana from Maharashtra was the top run-scorer with 311 runs, while Sneh Rana of Punjab led the wicket-takers with 17 wickets.

2013-14: Railways clinched the title in the 2013-14 season, with Hyderabad finishing as runners-up. Latika Kumari from Delhi scored the most runs (204), and Ekta Bisht of Railways took the most wickets (13).

2014-15: Railways continued their winning streak in the 2014-15 season by defeating Maharashtra in the final. Harmanpreet Kaur from Railways was the leading run-scorer with 262 runs, and Devika Vaidya of Maharashtra topped the wicket-taking list with 14 wickets.

2015-16: The 2015-16 season saw Railways defeat Maharashtra once again. Smriti Mandhana from Maharashtra was the highest run-scorer with 224 runs, while Rupali Chavan from Goa led the bowlers with 13 wickets.

2016-17: Railways won the title in the 2016-17 season, overcoming Hyderabad in the final. Mithali Raj from Railways was the leading run-scorer with 311 runs. Nidhi Buley from Madhya Pradesh was the top wicket-taker with 18 wickets.

2017-18: Delhi emerged as champions in the 2017-18 season, defeating Maharashtra in the final. Neha Tanwar from Delhi was the top run-scorer with 189 runs, while Keerthi James from Kerala led the wicket-taking charts with 17 wickets.

2018-19: Punjab claimed the title in the 2018-19 season, defeating Karnataka in the final. Priya Punia from Delhi scored the most runs (382), and Priyanka Priyadarshini from Odisha took the most wickets (17).

2019-20: Railways won the title in the 2019-20 season, defeating Bengal in the final. Rumeli Dhar from Bengal was the highest run-scorer with 296 runs, while Nupur Kohale from Vidarbha led the bowlers with 18 wickets.

2020-21: The 2020-21 season saw Railways defeat Maharashtra to claim the title. Kiran Navgire from Nagaland was the leading run-scorer with 525 runs, and Aarti Kedar from Maharashtra was the top wicket-taker with 13 wickets.

2021-22: Railways continued their dominance in the 2021-22 season, defeating Bengal in the final. Disha Kasat from Vidarbha was the leading run-scorer with 300 runs, and Anjali Sarvani from Railways led the wicket-taking list with 17 wickets.

2022-23: Railways won the title again in the 2022-23 season, with Bengal finishing as runners-up. Disha Kasat from Vidarbha topped the run-scoring charts with 300 runs, and Anjali Sarvani from Railways took the most wickets with 17.

With the Senior Women's T20 Trophy, Railways has dominated the competition over the years and provided a stage for up-and-coming talent. The competition has seen some incredible individual performances, which have played a major role in the development and rise in popularity of women's cricket in India.

2023-24: The domestic women's T20 tournament in India, the Women's Senior T20 Trophy, played its 15th season in 2023–2024. It was held in 2023 from October 19 to November 9, with 37 teams split up into five groups. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the tournament's inclusion in the 2023–24 Indian domestic cricket season in April of 2023. In the quarterfinals, Railways, the defending champions, were eliminated.

The event included 37 teams, split into two eight-team groups and three seven-team groups. Teams competed against one another once in a round-robin format within their group. Each group's top two teams advanced to the knockout stage. While the teams placed seven through ten participated in pre-quarterfinal play, the teams ranked one through six advanced directly to the quarterfinals. Twenty20 cricket was used as the format for matches.

Out of 37 teams, only four qualified for the semi-finals which were Kerala, Uttarakhand, Bengal, and Mumbai. In the first semi-final, Uttarakhand played against Kerala. Uttarakhand won the match by 8 wickets and qualified for the final of the Senior Women's T20 Trophy. In the second semi-final, Mumbai played against Bengal. Mumbai also won the match by 8 wickets and qualified to play the final with Uttarakhand.

The Senior Women's T20 Trophy 2023–24 final took place at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur on November 9, 2023. Mumbai and Uttarakhand were the teams competing in the match. Mumbai chose to bowl after winning the toss, and their move paid off as they won by a margin of six wickets.

When they batted first, Uttarakhand scored 84/8 in the 20 overs that were given to them. Punam Raut led their innings with a high score of 24 runs off 27 balls. She tried her hardest, but the squad was unable to form partnerships or increase the scoring rate.

Mumbai scored 87/4 in 15.2 overs while chasing a modest 85, winning with 6 wickets remaining. During the chase, Jemimah Rodrigues was vital, scoring 30 runs off of 30 balls without a loss. Mumbai easily and slowly drew in on the objective due to her composed innings.