In a huge accolade for a 22-year-old youngster, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has announced that her government would build a cricket stadium and name it after Richa Ghosh. The wicketkeeper-batter represented the state as India won the 2025 Women’s World Cup by beating South Africa by 52 runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai last Sunday.
She enjoyed a highly consistent tournament, amassing 235 runs in eight matches. While her 94 against South Africa came in a losing cause during the group stage, her brisk 34 off 24 balls in the final proved far more valuable. She did have a few nervy moments behind the stumps, but stood out with the bat, finishing as the highest run-scorer in the decisive 41-50-over phase, tallying 185 runs at a blistering
strike rate of 165.17.
“The ‘Richa Cricket Stadium’ will be built on a 27-acre plot at the Chandmani Tea Estate. This is a way to honour Richa, one of Bengal’s shining sports talents, and also encourage more young cricketers from north Bengal,” Banerjee told reporters in Siliguri, as quoted by news agency PTI. “The project will soon be undertaken by the state government.”
No women’s cricketer has a stadium named after her yet. Before the World Cup, Smriti Mandhana had urged consideration to dedicate stadium stands after women’s cricket legends, which happened soon with Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, respectively.
In other honors, Ghosh has received the Banga Bhushan award, a Deputy Superintendent of Police post from the Bengal government, and ₹34 lakh (₹1 lakh for each run in the final) from CAB. She’s already being touted as a future captain by Sourav Ganguly.
“The World Cup triumph is a special, special win and only Richa can tell us what that feels like,” Ganguly said. “Your career has just begun. Women’s cricket will grow massively in the next four to six years, and there will be more opportunities. I hope you make the most of them and one day, like Jhulan, we’ll stand here and say: ‘Richa — India captain’. You’re just 22… You’ve got time. All blessings and heartiest congratulations.”
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