Richa Ghosh, 22, must be overjoyed with the affection and support she has received from her fans and well-wishers since India won the 2025 Women’s World Cup on November 2. Richa was more than just a footnote in the fairytale success; she was a key architect, thanks to her excellent batting and wicketkeeping abilities.
Last week, the West Bengal government partnered with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to host a ceremony to honour Richa for her crucial role to India’s maiden Women’s World Cup victory. During the event, the Siliguri wicketkeeper-batter was presented with Bengal’s highest civilian award, the Bangla Bhushan, as well as a financial reward of INR 34 lakhs, to commemorate her 34-run effort in the final versus South Africa at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
Richa was also named Deputy Superintendent of Police by the West Bengal Government. She also received a gold-plated bat and ball signed by CAB president Sourav Ganguly and Indian icon Jhulan Goswami, who were both present at the occasion.
While praising Richa and the entire Indian team, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her plans to ensure the achievement is remembered for generations.
Banerjee pledged that a stadium in Darjeeling would be erected shortly on 27 acres of land and would be named “Richa Ghosh Stadium”.
“At the age of 22, Richa won the world championship. We honored her on behalf of the West Bengal government, but I want to go a step farther. Darjeeling has approximately 27 acres of land, and I have urged the mayor to plan a cricket stadium there. Mamata Banerjee suggested naming it the Richa Cricket Stadium so that future generations can remember and be inspired by her performance.
Richa, who scored 235 runs from eight matches with a highest of 94, will become the first female Indian cricketer to have a stadium named after her. In the past, stalwarts like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami have been honoured with stands being named after them at Visakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA Stadium and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, respectively.
India
