'I Didn't do it for Attention. I Wanted to Give Back to Cricket'

Actor and anchor-broadcaster Mandira Bedi on championing women's cricket and why she used the money from her brand endorsements to promote the sport

- By KUNAL PURANDARE

More than two decades before India's historic win at the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, actor Mandira Bedi quietly batted for the sport. Making optimum use of her newfound popularity as an anchor-broadcaster after the 2003 Men's World Cup, she persuaded corporates and brands to sponsor tournaments and encourage women's cricket. At times, she even diverted her earnings to promote the game.

In a candid chat with Forbes India, Bedi speaks about why she felt it was the right thing to do, her decision not to speak about her contribution to the game all these years, and how she battled tags like 'eye candy' and sexist behaviour while she was a presenter during cricket tournaments. Edited excerpts:

Q At a time when there wasn't much awareness about women's cricket, you stepped in and contributed in your own way. How did it begin?

The 2003 World Cup was a turning point in my career. Cricket is still a male-dominated sport and there was no room for women in broadcasting in those days. But I got acceptance by the end of the tournament. When I came back to India after the World Cup, everybody knew me by my name. Until then, I was the characters that I played on screen. Cricket gave me so much... it made me an anchor, a master of ceremonies, and it made me host events. I wanted to give something back; I wanted to do something for the game.