"VAN" (Sports Desk - 28.10.2025) :: The International Cricket Council (ICC), in partnership with Rexona, successfully concluded the criiio Cricket Festivals with Rexona 2025 – an inspiring initiative to rally support and participation in the sport across India.
The criiio programme, developed by the ICC as a self-sustaining, universally accessible entry point to cricket, celebrates the many informal and diverse ways the game is played around the world. The 2025 criiio Cricket Festivals with Rexona marked the next evolution of this vision by providing a platform for women and girls from the age of 15 to 21 years, to experience cricket in a fun, supportive, and inspiring environment.
In the lead-up to India hosting the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, the criiio Cricket Festivals served as a powerful grassroots companion to the global event – creating meaningful community-level engagement in key host cities.
The festivals were held in Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, Indore, and Guwahati, with each city hosting two festivals, totaling eight festivals across the country.
Each festival featured up to 48 teams playing in a dynamic 6 vs 6 format, with six overs per side, designed to ensure maximum participation, excitement, and accessibility. The response was overwhelming, with over 1900 girls participating in the festivals across four cities.
The criiio Cricket Festivals not only stoked the fire of interest of hundreds of young women to the game but also paved the way for future development and growth, offering pathways for continued participation in the sport both recreationally and competitively.
Jay Shah, ICC Chairman said: “The game of cricket belongs to all who wish to enjoy it in whatever capacity of their choice. The criiio Cricket Festivals are about opening the gates of sport to everyone – regardless of background or experience.
“By focusing on fun, accessibility, and opportunity, the ICC is building a bridge to the future of cricket and doing so at a time when the world’s eyes are on India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.”
Vipul Mathur, Executive Director, Personal Care at Hindustan Unilever said: “At Rexona, we believe movement builds confidence. Our partnership with the ICC Women’s Cricket and the criiio Cricket Festivals is about more than sport — it’s about giving young women the confidence to move, participate, and thrive. By creating inclusive spaces that celebrate every step on the field, we’re proud to support a generation of girls who feel fresh, fearless, and ready to take on the world.”
Former India fast bowler, Jhulan Goswami attended the festivals in Guwahati, she said: “The Criiio Cricket Festivals are a fantastic initiative that not only promote cricket but also help build a supportive environment for young girls in sports. My best wishes to the team for driving this effort — I look forward to the day we can all proudly say, ‘mission accomplished.’"
The criiio cricket festivals were established and piloted by the ICC in 2024 to address the low participation and retention rates of women and girls in cricket.
The festivals have provided safe, girls only environments where the shortened format could be played. Specialised equipment was introduced in nine ICC Associate Member countries through festivals engaging 5,755 participants.
Participating Associate Members have reported encouraging results:
- 74% (4,261) of individual players had never played cricket before, meaning that the programme was successful at engaging new participants.
- One day post criiio festivals: 98.5% of participants expressed
- interest in playing again.
- One to three months post-festival: 95.7% had played again, the programme was successful at retaining most participants.
- Six months post-festival: 84.7% of participants were actively continuing to play cricket.
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