The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has honoured women’s cricket icons by naming a stand after Mithali Raj and a gate after Raavi Kalpana at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The ceremony took place before India’s ODI World Cup match against Australia. Mithali Raj, BCCI officials, Andhra Minister Nara Lokesh, and ACA President Kesineni Sivanath attended the event.
The ACA made this decision last week after Smriti Mandhana’s appeal during a “Breaking Boundaries” event in August 2025. Mandhana suggested that stadiums should celebrate leading Indian women cricketers. Her suggestion received immediate support from Minister Nara Lokesh, who consulted the ACA to make it a reality.
Mithali Raj, one of the greatest women’s cricketers, holds the record for the most runs in women’s ODIs with 7,805 runs from 232 matches. She also played 89 T20Is and 12 Tests, retiring in 2022 after a 23-year-long career.
Raavi Kalpana represented India in seven ODIs between 2015 and 2016. Her success has inspired players like Arundhati Reddy, S Meghana, and N Shree Charani from Andhra Pradesh, boosting the state’s presence in Indian women’s cricket.
