Mumbai: Star Sports has unveiled a new campaign called #HamaraBlueBandhan to rally the nation behind the Indian Women’s cricket team. The first campaign film of the series is dedicated to the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 that will begin airing from 4 March.

India’s journey in the tournament will begin on 6 March at 6:30 a.m against arch-rivals Pakistan. “The campaign aims to epitomize the spirit of cricket and bring to life the bond that cricketing fans across India have with the Women in Blue,” said the statement.  

The film picks up from India’s heart-breaking loss in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 finals against England and highlights how close the team has come to becoming world champions. “The fandom and support for the Women in Blue has increased many folds since the 2017 finals and the sport has given rise to many new heroes making them household names. The upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 will be India’s chance to go one step further and become world champions,” said the statement.

“We are delighted to host the Women's World Cup across Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar, showcasing the premier event to millions of cricket fans across the country,” said Disney Star head – sports Sanjog Gupta. “The exemplary performance of the Indian team coupled with our continued efforts to popularise Women's Cricket had seen the T20 World Cup in 2020 shatter viewership records. The growing popularity of women's cricketers serves as an inspiration for everyone, but especially for young girls to enter the field of sports. The #HamaraBlueBandhan campaign seeks to bind Cricket fans together to rally behind the Indian team as it embarks on a 12-month journey of conquering world Cricket starting with the WWC 2022. We wish the women in blue the very best and are sure they will continue to inspire us with their journeys."

The team India ODI captain Mithali Raj, along with the experience of Jhulan Goswami, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur among others will look to lead India to its maiden Women’s World Cup triumph on 6 March at the Bay Oval, Tauranga in New Zealand.