5 Indian women cricketers with most followers on Instagram

There was a time when women’s cricket in India was conveniently ignored even though the sport kept producing quality players like Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra and Anju Jain, among many others. There is still a long way to go for women’s cricket in India to be treated on par with the men’s game. But things are definitely changing, and for good.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced that they are planning to start a women’s IPL from the next season, which is expected to give a big boost to female cricket in the country. The fact that a biopic on a legendary women’s cricketer Mithali Raj (Shabaash Mithu) is going to hit theaters soon is further proof that things are heading in the right direction.

Along with the growing popularity of women’s cricket in India, the fan following of the players has also been on the rise. In this feature, we take a look at five Indian women cricketers with the highest number of followers on Instagram.

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#5 Jemimah Rodrigues - 584 thousand followers

Young batter Jemimah Rodrigues has 584 thousand followers on Instagram. She was recently in the news for her impressive performances during the T20I series in Sri Lanka.

Rodrigues was the Player of the Match for her unbeaten 36 off 27 in the first game and contributed 33 in the third T20I. She has so far represented India in 21 ODIs and 53 T20Is, scoring 394 and 1127 runs respectively.

A highly-rated young talent, the 21-year-old has registered nine half-centuries in international cricket.

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#4 Harmanpreet Kaur - 928 thousand followers

Current limited-overs captain Harmanpreet Kaur has 928 thousand followers on her official Instagram handle. Kaur captained the T20I squad following Mithali’s retirement from the format a few years ago. She was also appointed one-day captain ahead of the Sri Lanka tour after Mithali’s retirement from all forms of international cricket.

She was the 'Player of the Series' in the T20Is in Sri Lanka for scoring 92 runs in three games. Harmanpreet won the same award for her performance in the one-dayers as well for scoring 119 runs and claiming two wickets. She was also adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for her 75 in the third ODI as India women crushed Sri Lanka women 3-0.

Harmanpreet, 33, is best remembered for her 171* against Australia in the 2017 World Cup semi-final. She has scored 3101 runs in 121 ODIs and 2411 runs in 124 T20Is.

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#3 Harleen Deol - 964 thousand followers

Harleen Deol, 24, has only played four ODIs and 13 T20Is for India, but she is already among the top three Indian women cricketers with the most followers on Instagram - 964 thousand.

Harleen’s popularity soared during India’s tour of England last year. In the first T20I at Northampton, she took one of the most spectacular catches in cricket’s history and became a viral sensation. Harleen’s catch dismissed Amy Jones on 43.

Jones lofted Shikha Pandey over the in-field. As the ball seemed to be heading over the ropes, Harleen, who was at long-off, timed her jump to perfection and took the catch. However, her momentum took her over the ropes. She threw the ball back in, but before it could touch the ground, she jumped back and dived to complete the catch.

Harleen has scored 37 runs in ODIs and 135 runs in T20Is with a best of 52. She has also claimed seven international wickets with her spin bowling.

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#2 Mithali Raj - 1.6 million followers

Undoubtedly one of the greatest female cricketers in the world, former India women’s captain Mithali Raj enjoys a fan following of 1.6 million on Instagram. Mithali, 39, announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket in June 2022.

Mithali is the leading run-getter in women’s ODI cricket (7,805) and the only female cricketer to have scored over 7000 runs in the format. She is also the all-time leading run-getter in women’s international cricket with 10,868 runs across the three formats.

She is credited with changing the face of women’s cricket in India and inspiring more females to take up the sport. Her legendary story will be playing in cinemas soon as her biopic, 'Shabaash Mithu', releases on July 15.

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#1 Smriti Mandhana - 6.1 million followers

Opener Smriti Mandhana is the most followed Indian women's cricketer on Instagram by some distance, having 6.1 million followers on her official handle. Smriti is elegance personified on the field and her attractive strokeplay has won her many fans and admirers.

The 25-year-old left-handed batter is a vital cog in the current Indian setup. She has played four Tests, 74 ODIs and 87 T20Is, scoring 5250 international runs in total. Smriti has one century to her name in Tests and five in one-dayers. She averages over 40 in both formats.

Smriti recently smashed an unbeaten 94 off 83 balls, with the aid of 11 fours and a six, as India women thumped Sri Lanka women by 10 wickets in the second ODI in Pallekele.

At 22 years and 229 days, she became the youngest T20I captain (male or female) for India when she led the team in a match against England in Guwahati in 2019.

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