Overview
Diana Edulji is a former Indian cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women's cricket in India. A left-arm spin bowler and former captain of the India women's national cricket team, she represented the country across the 1970s and 1980s, a formative period for the women's game in India. After retirement, she remained active in cricket administration and was appointed to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) constituted by the Supreme Court of India to oversee the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Key facts
| Full name | Diana Edulji |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Community | Parsi |
| Sport | Cricket |
| Role | Bowler (slow left-arm orthodox) |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| National team | India |
| Position held | Former captain, India women's cricket team |
| Administrative role | Member, BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award; Padma Shri |
Background
Edulji belongs to the Parsi community in Mumbai, a community with a long association with Indian cricket. She took to the sport at a time when organised women's cricket in India was at a nascent stage, with the Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) having been founded in 1973 to administer the women's game before its eventual merger with the BCCI.
Playing career
Edulji played for India in both Test matches and One Day Internationals during a career spanning roughly from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. As a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, she was known for her control and accuracy, and she was for many years the leading wicket-taker for India in women's international cricket. She also captained the national side in both formats.
She was part of the Indian team during the early international tours that helped establish women's cricket in the country, including matches against touring sides from Australia, England, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Domestically, she represented Railways and Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in inter-state competitions, with Railways becoming a powerhouse in women's domestic cricket during her era.
Honours and recognition
- Arjuna Award – conferred by the Government of India for outstanding achievement in sport.
- Padma Shri – India's fourth-highest civilian honour, recognising her contribution to Indian sport.
Administrative role
In 2017, Edulji was appointed by the Supreme Court of India as a member of the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was tasked with implementing the reforms recommended by the Justice R. M. Lodha Committee and overseeing the functioning of the BCCI in the interim. She was the only woman and the only former cricketer on the panel, which was initially chaired by Vinod Rai. During her tenure, she advocated greater investment in and visibility for women's cricket in India, including improvements to match fees, domestic structures, and selection processes. The CoA's mandate concluded in 2019 with the election of a new BCCI office-bearing body.
Significance
Edulji is considered one of the foundational figures of women's cricket in India, alongside contemporaries such as Shubhangi Kulkarni and Shantha Rangaswamy. Her sustained presence as a bowler and captain helped establish the credibility of the Indian women's team during a period when the sport received limited media attention or institutional support. Her later role on the CoA placed her among the few former women cricketers to hold a position of direct influence in Indian cricket governance.