For the first time in cricket, this summer England Women is set to take on India Women. To build hype for this momentous event, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has worked with award-winning British-Indian director Gurinder Chadha to create a blockbuster film trailer for the event.

The promotional film is Chadha’s first sports film since the football phenomenon Bend it Like Beckham and celebrates the fierce cricketing rivalry between the two teams. Whilst hyping up the stakes, the film also celebrates cultural unity between the two teams and their fans as cricket enthusiasts, as well as spotlighting the evolution of women’s cricket.

For the first time, England Women will play India alongside England Men and England Men’s Mixed Disability team, demonstrating the significance of the joint series and the ECB’s ambition to raise the profile of the women’s team, creating long-term fans as it builds towards the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup in 2026, which will take place on home soil. 

The trailer for the upcoming series is a celebration of sport, culture, drama and fandom to successfully build hype for the upcoming series.

The spot is laced with Chadha’s signature style with dynamic sporting shots, upbeat music and bold colourful scenes. Drawing influence from her previous work, the action packed film stars players Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Heather Knight and Lauren Filer alongside fans. With a combination of legendary England vs India moments, newly shot sequences and crowd shots, the film uses compelling storytelling to build a narrative of excitement and drama.

The trailer is a nod to the vibrant British-Indian cricket community across England and Wales and celebrates the shared passion of England and India fans.

The spot has subtle references to iconic Bend It Like Beckham scenes in recreations of the shirt-waving drama between Sourav Ganguly and Andrew Flintoff, to the much-discussed run-out the last time the England Women’s side faced India at Lord’s. Combining sport with storytelling, the trailer brings drama to the upcoming series. 

“I grew up watching Bend It Like Beckham, so it’s really exciting to be working with Gurinder to produce something special for women’s cricket. Playing India is always a massive test, and we love the rivalry with them, so the film trailer is really the perfect way of showing what it’s all about - unlimited drama and lots of action. The real viewing will be out on the pitch, and we can’t wait to get out there and put a show on for the fans!” says England Women’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt.

Clare Connor, ECB Deputy CEO and Managing Director of England Women, added: “Gurinder’s previous film, Bend It Like Beckham, was decades ahead of its time in terms of celebrating women in sport, particularly for South-Asian women in Britain. She was the perfect person to work with on this trailer, and we hope this film shows the impact women’s cricket is having by spotlighting this major series and creating excitement ahead of a World Cup on home soil next summer.” 

Off the back of a successful first series against West Indies under new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Head Coach Charlotte Edwards, England women is expecting fierce competition from India as they build up to a World Cup in September, hosted in India.  

Enlisting a champion of women’s sport to inject excitement and hype into the upcoming cricket series, the trailer is a landmark in the progression of women’s cricket, positioning the men's and women’s games side by side. Celebrating culture, competitiveness and cricketing excellence, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) leans on the power of storytelling to engage fans.