Sport has always been male-centric. Men always had the upper hand and control over it. Moreover, society never wanted women to take up the sport as a career. Be it their male ego, or just the simple want to make women stick to their home, society never promoted women in sports. Therefore, every time a female broke into a sport, was a revolutionary event. One after one, they all gone against the flow and did what no one could believe they could do. In the fourth episode of our weekly series, "Women In Sports", we will list out all those women who were "Female Firsts In Every Sport".

Check out the last episodes of the series.

Women In Sports: Female Firsts In Every Sport

We have tired to list out the every first female in every sport. The list is made alphabetically.

Female Firsts in Archery

Archery is one of those game that encouraged gender equality more than any other sport. Archery was first introduced by the British Royal Families. Even there is say that the second wife of English King Henry VIII, is said to have used archery to help seduce her husband. However, in 1904 archery was introduced in the Olympics as a women event.

It is recorded that Matilda Howell is the first women to participate in the women archery in 1904 Olympics.

Read the full story here.

Female Firsts in Badminton

1890- The first-ever female all-England badminton championships were held.

1992: First Women's Single Match in Olympics. Susi Susanti was one of the stars in Women Badminton that time.

Female Firsts In Baseball

1876: Lizzie Arlington became the first-ever female to play organized baseball in the 19th century.

1931: Virne Beatrice became the first female baseball player to play in a major league.

1943: Mamie Johnson became the first woman in baseball to play against men professionals.

1998: Ila Borders, became the first woman to win a men's pro baseball game.

2006: Effa Manley became the the first ever female to be inducted in the Baseball's Hall of Fame.

2009: Justine Siegal became the first-ever female to coach a men's team in professional baseball.

2020: Alyssa Nakken became the first-ever full time female coach in Major League Baseball.

Female Firsts In Basketball

Just like Archery and Badminton, women also found their space in Basketball as soon as the game was invented.

1979: Ann Meyers became the first female to train with a NBA team, the Indiana Pacers.

1986: Nancy Lieberman became the first woman to play in a men's pro league. She also played in the Los Angele's Team as well.

1997: Violet Palmer, became the first female to officiate an NBA game.

Female Firsts In Boxing

1876: First female boxing match in America. The match was between ell Saunders and Rose Harland.

1904: Women Boxing introduced in the Olympics.

1954: Barbara Buttrick became the first female boxer to have a fight broadcast on national television.

1975: Caroline Svendsen became the first female to have boxing license.

Read the full history of women' boxing here.

Female Firsts In Chess

Vera Menchik was the first female to participate in Men's Chess. She was also the first-ever Women's World Chess Champion.

Female Firsts In Cricket

1745: First Female Cricket match was played in England.

1887: First Women cricket club was set up in Yorkshire named "The White Heather Club".

1926: Women's Cricket Association was founded.

1934: First Women's Test Match between England and Australia.

1935: Myrtle Maclagan became the first-ever female to score a test century.

Read Also: Longest career in ODI Cricket History: Mithali Raj in Elite list

Female Firsts In Football

1895: First female football match was played.

2018: Ada Hegerberg became the first female Ballon d'Or winner.

2020: Stephanie Frappart became the first female referee to officiate in a Champions League Match.

2021: Rebecca Welch became the first female referee appointed to EFL match.

2021: Stephanie Frappart became the first female referee to officiate in a Men's World Cup Qualifier match.

Read Also: Women In Sports: Female Soccer Players Who Inspired The World

Female Firsts In Golf

1542: Mary, Queen of Scots recorded as the first-ever female golfer.

1938: Babe Didrikson Zaharias became the first female to play on the PGA Tour in the Los Angeles Open.

1996: Karrie Webbs became the first LGPA golfer to earn $1 million in a single season

Female Firsts In ICE Hockey

1992: Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play in an NHL game.

Female Firsts in Karate

1980: Women were allowed to participate in the World Karate Championships.

Female Firsts in Mixed Martial Arts

1995: First-ever women's MMA tournament held in Japan

1997: Becky Levi defeated Betty Fagan in first ever recorded female MMA competition in the United States.

2012: Ronda Rousey became the first female MMA fighter signed by UFC.

Female Firsts in Olympics

1990: First Olympic game to feature female athletes.

1990:  Hélène de Pourtalès of Switzerland became the first woman to compete at the Olympic Games. Moreover, she was also the first-ever female Olympic champion.

1990: Charlotte Cooper became the first female individual champion. She won the women's singles tennis competition in 1990 Olympics in Paris.

Female Firsts in Powerlifting

1987: First time women power-lifters competed at the World Weightlifting Championships .

Female Firsts in Rugby

1884: Emily Valentine became the first-female to play Rugby.

1991: First-ever Women's Rugby World Cup

Female First in Running

1926: Violet Piercy became the first woman to run a marathon.

1954: Diane Leather became the first female runner to run a mile in less than 5 minutes.

1980: Mary Decker became the first woman to run a mile in under 4:20.

2002: Rosie Swale-Pope became the first woman to "run-around-the-world".

Female Firsts in Tennis

1884- Women's singles tennis competitions were added to the Wimbledon.

1887: Ellen Hansell became the first-eve women's U.S open champion.

1953: Maureen Connolly became the first woman to win a Grand Slam.

Female Firsts in Track & Field

1928: Betty Robinson became the first woman to win Olympic gold in Track & Field.

1971: Debbie Brill became the first woman to high jump six feet.

Female Firsts in Volleyball

1986: The Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) was created.

1987: First women's volleyball event took place in California.

Women in sports always tried to make changes. Everything they did was revolutionary. The women in sports still faces gender discrimination. This was our try to list together every little revolutionary moment in history of women's sports.

Women’s cricket is constantly growing, and matches are continuously being played on a bigger stage with larger crowds. 

There are female cricketers who paved the way for others and continuously tried to grow the game even when only the smallest spotlight was on the sport, and such players need commending for their efforts. 

So, let's dig into the incredible careers and achievements of some of the best female cricketers who are making history.

Top Female Cricketers

10. Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka 

Chamari Athapaththu is the greatest cricketer from Sri Lanka to have played women’s cricket. 

Debuting as a 19-year-old, she was soon noted for her aggressive batting. 

She became captain of the Sri Lanka national team and has helped a not-so-strong team challenge much more formidable opponents on the global stage.

In 2024 she led Sri Lanka to an underdog win in the Asia Cup women’s T20I series and finished as Player of the Tournament. 

Chamari has also led Sri Lanka to its first-ever series wins over South Africa and England in T20Is and over New Zealand in ODIs. 

She holds the record for most runs for Sri Lanka in women’s ODIs and T20Is, and her nine women’s ODI hundreds are a Sri Lankan record as well. 

In April 2024, her unbeaten 195 helped Sri Lanka complete the first-ever successful chase of more than 300 runs in a women’s ODI.

In 2023, a seating zone at the Sydney Cricket Ground was named “Chamari Bay” in her honor.

9. Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa 

Laura Wolvaardt made her debut for South Africa as an opening batter at age 16, and by age 25 she became her country’s record holder for most ODI runs, most ODI hundreds, and most T20I runs in women’s cricket. 

Along the way, she became the youngest centurion, male or female, for South Africa in international cricket. 

In 2024 Wolvaardt became only the third woman to score a hundred in all three formats of international cricket, achieving the feat in a Test vs. India. 

After that, she was also named captain of the South Africa T20I team for the World Cup and captained her side to the final where it lost to New Zealand.

8. Heather Knight | England 

Heather Knight took over as captain of the England women’s team in 2016 when Charlotte Edwards retired and led it to victory in the 2017 women’s ODI World Cup at home. 

She was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year that year and was also awarded an OBE. 

As of 2024 Knight has more than 5,000 runs in international cricket.

7. Amelia Kerr | New Zealand 

Amelia Kerr is a third-generation New Zealand cricketer who emerged on the international scene with a bang. 

At age 16, she was the youngest to earn a New Zealand Cricket contract and to debut for the national team in 2017. 

The next year, at 17, she became the youngest cricketer, man or woman, to score an international double century. During that innings, she beat the women’s ODI record held by Belinda Clark on her way to an unbeaten 232.

Not content with scoring a double, she also took 5 wickets while bowling in one of the all-time great all-round displays. 

Kerr has since been a consistent performer for New Zealand and in 2024 was named both the Player of the Final and the Player of the Tournament as New Zealand won the women’s T20I World Cup.

6. Hayley Matthews | West Indies 

Hayley Matthews is a cricketer from Barbados who plays for the West Indies women’s cricket team and became the team’s captain in 2022. 

Matthews is an all-rounder who has more than 4,000 runs in women’s ODIs and T20Is, as well as more than 100 wickets in each format. 

A natural athlete, she played both track and field and cricket in her youth, before focusing on cricket and making her debut for the West Indies. 

Her crowning glory was a Player of the Match performance in the women’s T20I World Cup final in 2016, as the West Indies beat favorites Australia to win its first title.

Matthews is a highly sought after player in franchise leagues across the world and was Player of the Tournament in the first edition of the WPL in 2023, when she helped her team, Mumbai Indians, win the title.

5. Nat Sciver-Brunt | England 

Nat Sciver-Brunt plays international cricket for England. She has scored more than 6,000 international runs with 10 centuries and taken more than 150 wickets as of 2024. 

She is credited with inventing the “Natmeg” shot, in which she hits the ball between her legs for runs. 

In 2013 she became the first England bowler to take a women’s T20I hat trick.

Nat Sciver was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and won the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in both 2022 and 2023. 

She is married to fellow England cricketer Katherine Sciver-Brunt.

4. Ellyse Perry | Australia 

Ellyse Perry is one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket based on sheer numbers: a Test batting average of over 60, a Test bowling average below 22, and women’s ODI batting and bowling averages of 50 and 25, respectively. 

In 2007, at age 16, Perry became the youngest Australian to play international cricket. 

She is also the first Australian to have appeared in cricket as well as football (soccer) World Cups, playing the latter in 2011 in Germany. 

She has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award twice, in 2017 and 2019. 

In 2020 she was named the ICC Female Player of the Decade. Perry is one of the most famous female cricketers in the world.

3. Harmanpreet Kaur | India

Harmanpreet Kaur debuted for India in 2009 but is best remembered for an unbeaten innings of 171, which helped underdogs India beat Australia to reach the final of the 2017 women’s ODI World Cup.

The knock made her a household name in India and helped take the popularity of the women’s game to the next level. 

She has also scored India’s fastest T20I hundred off only 49 balls. Harmanpreet has more than 7,000 international runs and more than 70 wickets. 

In 2016 she became the first Indian cricketer to sign a contract with the Australian Big Bash League, playing for Sydney Thunder. In 2017 she was awarded the Arjuna Award. 

Picked as captain by the Mumbai Indians in the WPL, she led them to victory in the inaugural season of the WPL in 2023. She was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year the same year.

Harmanpreet has also captained the Indian women’s national team across formats since 2016.

2. Alyssa Healy | Australia 

Alyssa Healy is a wicketkeeper batsman who captains the Australian women’s national team.

She had a middling batting record until 2017 but has since remodeled herself into a formidable opening batter. 

In 2018 she was Player of the Tournament in Australia’s women’s T20I World Cup win; she was named Women’s T20I Player of the Year that year. 

Healy was also Player of the Match when Australia successfully defended its T20I title in the 2020 final. 

She continued her big-match streak with a Player of the Match performance in the 2022 women’s ODI World Cup final, scoring a mammoth 170 runs and earning the Player of the Series award. 

In 2020 Healy surpassed MS Dhoni’s record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in T20Is by any keeper, male or female. 

1. Smriti Mandhana | India

Currently regarded as one of the best batters in women’s cricket, Smriti Mandhana holds several coveted records to her name.

She has scored more than 7,000 international runs with more than 10 hundreds across formats. 

Her nine ODI hundreds are an Indian women’s record. 

She captained her state team Maharashtra in 2013 at just age 16 and debuted for India the same year. 

Mandhana was the costliest buy in the inaugural WPL auction and was picked by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as captain for 3.4 crore rupees. 

She led RCB to victory in the second edition of the WPL in 2024. 

Mandhana won the ICC Women’s ODI Player of the Year award in 2018. She has also won the Rachael Hayhoe Flint Award for Best Women’s Cricketer of the Year twice, in 2018 and 2021.

The player auction for the WPL 2025 is scheduled to take place on December 15, 2024, in Bengaluru. In this auction, bidding is about to take place on 120 players.

Also Read: BCCI announce the player List for WPL 2025 Auction: Only two players from Bengal

Shortlist of players

The WPL 2025 auction list includes 91 Indian players and 29 international players, including three emerging talents from associate nations. Of the players available, 30 players are capped (9 Indians, 21 foreigners), while the remaining 90 are uncapped (82 Indians, 8 foreigners).

Most of the franchises have retained their core players this season, leaving only 19 slots (5 for overseas players) vacant in this year's auction.

List of marquee players

Marquee players available for auction include Tejal Hasabnis, Sneh Rana, Deandra Dottin (West Indies), Heather Knight (England), Orla Prendergast (Ireland), Lauren Bell (England), Kim Garth (Australia) and Danielle Gibson (England) among many others. 

Available Purses:

• Delhi Capitals - Purse left: INR 2.5 crores, Slots left: 4 (1 Overseas)
• Gujarat Giants - Purse left: INR 4.4 crores, Slots left: 4 (2 Overseas)
• Mumbai Indians - Purse left: INR 2.65 crores, Slots left: 4 (1 Overseas)
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Purse left: INR 3.25 crores, Slots left: 4 (0 Overseas)
• UP Warriorz - Purse left: INR 3.9 crore, Slots left: 3 (1 Overseas)

WPL 2025 Auction: Live Streaming Details

When will the WPL 2025 auction take place?

The auction is scheduled to take place on December 15.

Where is the Women's Premier League auction going to take place?

The auction is going to be held in Bengaluru.

What time will the auction start?

The auction will start at 2:30 pm.

Where will the auction be live on TV?

The auction will air live on the Sports 18 channel (SD and HD).

Where will the live streaming of the Women's Premier League 2025 auction take place?

The live streaming will be absolutely free on the Jio Cinema app and their website.

The teams of South Africa and West Indies will face each other in the third match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 on October 4, Friday. Both the teams would like to make a strong start in the tournament by performing well in this match.

Also Read: ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Squads of every team

This match is important for both the teams as it can give them a chance to go to the knockout stage of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. With the result of this match, the form of both the teams and the ability of their players will be evaluated. South Africa will take the field with its balanced team, while West Indies will depend on the excellent form of its captain Hayley Matthews.

South Africa won the series 2-1 against Pakistan

South Africa women's team has recently performed brilliantly against Pakistan by winning the series 2-1. Their eyes are set on winning the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 title. Team captain Laura Wolvaardt is currently the fifth ranked T20 batsman in the world and has led the team to victory in many matches with her aggressive game.

Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tryon are the other key players of the team who are expected to strengthen the team with their experience. In bowling, Tumi Sekhukhune and Sinalo Jafta can play major roles.

West Indies won the T20 series against Sri Lanka 

The West Indies team has recently shown its capability by winning the T20 series against Sri Lanka. Team captain Hayley Matthews is in excellent form and has scored 313 runs so far in the year 2024 and has also taken 8 wickets.

The team is full of all-rounders, but their batsmen will have to show composure against the strong bowling of South Africa. The return of Deandra Dottin has strengthened the team and she will play an important role in both batting and bowling.

Also Read: ICC announces equal prize money for women as men ahead of Women's T20 World Cup 2024; winners to receive US$2.34million

SAW vs WIW: Head-To-Head

SAW vs WIW: Squads

The Indian Women's Cricket Team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on October 6 as per the new and updated Women's T20 World Cup fixture released by ICC on Monday. The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, which is all set to begin on October 3, was scheduled to be held in Bangladesh but was moved due to security reasons. Post that, ICC decided to shift the tournament to UAE with BCB still being the hosts of the marquee tournament. 

Read Also: T20I Records by Virat Kohli

India will start their campaign against the Kiwis 

The groups are still the same. Defending champion Australia are in Group A alongside India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Group B consists of South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland. Each side will play four group matches, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

The two semis will be played on October 17 and 18 and the final in Dubai on October 20. There is also a reserve day for both the semi-finals and the final.

If India advances from the group stage, they will feature in the first semi-final. 10 warm-up matches will be played from September 28 to October 1.

Team India will play their tournament opener against New Zealand on 4th October in Dubai followed by the much-awaited match against arch-rival Pakistan on 6th October at the same venue.

The Indian Women's team will then play against the defending champions Australia on 13th October in Sharjah.

Read Also: Top 10 T20I records which might shock you

ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Fixture and Schedule

The 2024 Women’s Asia Cup has already started, and India Women have booked their spot in the final. Throughout the year, several women cricketers in India have performed brilliantly in the T20 internationals. Four batters from India have scored more than 2000 runs while two of them have scored more than 3000 runs in their career in women’s T20Is so far. So, let's look at the list of Indian Women's cricketers who have scored the most T20I runs.

Read Also: Indian Head Coach Record since 2000

Most T20I runs for the Indian Women's Team

1. Smriti Mandhana - 3433 runs

Smriti Mandhana has been one of the best batters for India Women in recent times. She is the all-time highest run-scorer in India in women’s T20I. She has scored 3433 runs from 134 T20I innings for India Women with 25 half-centuries and a highest score of 87. She made her debut in 2013 and is now only the second Indian Women cricketer who has scored more than 3000 runs.

2. Harmanpreet Kaur - 3415 runs

The second-highest run-scorer for India Women in T20Is is the Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. She is the only Indian women’s cricketer to score a century in the T20I format. With 3415 runs from 152 games, Kaur has scored a hundred and 12 half-centuries. Her only century in the format came in the T20 World Cup 2018. She scored 103 off 51 balls against New Zealand in the 2018 T20 World Cup opener at Guyana.

3. Mithali Raj - 2364 runs

Former Indian skipper Mithali Raj is the third-highest run-getter for India in women’s T20Is. She was one of India's best players across formats. Mithali scored 2364 runs with a highest score of 97* from 89 T20I matches for India with 17 half-centuries before announcing her retirement in 2019. Her average of 37.52 is the highest on this list among the top five batters.

4. Jemimah Rodrigues - 2045 runs

Jemimah Rodrigues has been one of the best players in the Indian middle order over the years. She can switch her gears anytime during the middle overs and that's the reason she is a key member in the Indian squad right now. Rodrigues has scored 2045 runs in 99 T20Is for India with 11 half-centuries. 

5. Shafali Verma - 1932 runs

The 20-year-old Shafali Verma has already become one of the most important members of the Indian squad. She is the fifth-highest run-scorer for India in women’s T20Is at the age of 20. The right-hander has scored 1932 runs from 80 matches with a highest score of 81 for India Women in T20Is with ten half-centuries. Shafali is the second-highest runs scorer in the Women's Asia Cup 2024 and the highest among the Indian batters with 184 runs at an average of 61.33.