Mithali Raj, India’s longest-serving women’s cricket captain, retired from all forms of international cricket on 8 June 2022 after a 23-year career. She finished as the leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs with 7,805 runs. Since retiring, she has mentored in the Women’s Premier League and worked with the Andhra Cricket Association on women’s cricket.
The retirement announcement
Mithali Raj announced her retirement on 8 June 2022 through a statement on social media. She thanked the BCCI, her teammates and fans, and said she believed the team was in capable hands. She also said she wanted to stay involved in women’s cricket in India in some form, a promise she has kept since.
Her last ODI was against South Africa on 27 March 2022 during the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Her last Test was against Australia in September 2021. She had already stepped away from T20 internationals in September 2019.
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Mithali Raj: quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 December 1982, Jodhpur, Rajasthan |
| ODI debut | 26 June 1999 against Ireland |
| ODI record | 232 matches, 7,805 runs, average 50.68, 7 centuries |
| T20I record | 89 matches, 2,364 runs |
| Highest Test score | 214 against England, Taunton, 2002 |
| Retired | 8 June 2022, all international cricket |
Early life and debut
Mithali Raj was born in Jodhpur and grew up in Hyderabad. As a child, she trained in Bharatanatyam before cricket took over. She made her ODI debut against Ireland on 26 June 1999 at the age of 16 and scored an unbeaten century in that match, an early sign of what was to come.
Records and milestones
In August 2002, aged 19, she scored 214 against England at Taunton. At the time, it was the highest individual score in women’s Test cricket, beating Karen Rolton’s unbeaten 209. The record was later broken by Pakistan’s Kiran Baluch in 2004.
Her biggest achievement came in one-day cricket. Across 232 ODIs she scored 7,805 runs at an average of 50.68, with seven hundreds. She remains the leading run-scorer in women’s ODI history. Her total of 10,868 runs across all international formats stood as the women’s record until September 2026, when India opener Smriti Mandhana passed it during the Women’s Asia Cup.
Captaincy and the World Cup finals
Mithali led India in two Women’s ODI World Cup finals, in 2005 and 2017. India lost to Australia in 2005. In 2017 at Lord’s, India came close against England but lost by nine runs. That 2017 campaign drew huge television audiences in India and is widely seen as a turning point for the popularity of women’s cricket in the country.
During the 2017 World Cup, she became the first woman to pass 6,000 runs in ODIs, overtaking England’s Charlotte Edwards. She also became one of the few players, male or female, to play international cricket for more than two decades.
Awards and honours
- Arjuna Award: 2003
- Padma Shri: 2015
- Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World: 2017
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna: 2021, India’s highest sporting honour
Tributes and the biopic
Tributes poured in after her retirement, including from Sachin Tendulkar, who praised her contribution to Indian cricket. The biopic Shabaash Mithu, starring Taapsee Pannu as Mithali, released in cinemas on 15 July 2022, about a month after she retired. The film struggled at the box office.
Life after retirement
When the Women’s Premier League launched in 2023, Gujarat Giants appointed Mithali as their mentor and advisor. She worked with the franchise for the first two seasons. In December 2024, ahead of the 2025 auction, she parted ways with the team, as reported by ESPNcricinfo and other outlets.
She then joined the Andhra Cricket Association as a mentor and consultant for women’s cricket operations, focusing on building the game at the state level.
How women’s cricket changed after her
Mithali’s career spanned the years when women’s cricket in India moved from the Women’s Cricket Association to the BCCI in 2006, and from small crowds to full stadiums. In October 2022, a few months after she retired, the BCCI announced equal match fees for its centrally contracted women and men players in international cricket. The WPL followed in 2023, giving women players a domestic league with large auction fees for the first time.
These changes came too late for most of her own playing years, but her long run at the top helped build the audience and the case for them.
India’s first World Cup title
On 2 November 2025, three years after Mithali’s retirement, India won their first Women’s ODI World Cup, beating South Africa by 52 runs in the final in Navi Mumbai. For many fans and former players, the win felt like the result of the groundwork laid by Mithali’s generation, who played with far less money, coverage and support than players have today.
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Frequently asked questions
When did Mithali Raj retire?
Mithali Raj retired from all forms of international cricket on 8 June 2022, after 23 years.
How many ODI runs did Mithali Raj score?
She scored 7,805 runs in 232 ODIs at an average of 50.68, the most by any woman in ODI cricket.
What is Mithali Raj doing now?
After mentoring Gujarat Giants in the WPL from 2023 to 2024, she joined the Andhra Cricket Association as a mentor and consultant for women’s cricket.
Who played Mithali Raj in Shabaash Mithu?
Taapsee Pannu played Mithali Raj in the biopic Shabaash Mithu, released on 15 July 2022.
Sources: Wikipedia: Mithali Raj, Cricket.com on Gujarat Giants exit, All India Radio News on the 2025 World Cup, Gulf News on Mandhana’s record.
