The ICC now offers a clear plan to help cricketers balance motherhood and their careers
The "6 Rs" guide provides a safe, step-by-step path back to the field
This policy shifts the culture, treating pregnancy as a normal career phase rather than an obstacle
The International Cricket Council (ICC), under the leadership of Chairman Jay Shah, has released new "Return to Play Post-Pregnancy Guidelines" to help female cricketers manage motherhood alongside their professional careers. This framework gives cricket boards a clear plan to support players, ensuring they don't have to choose between their families and playing for their country. By focusing on health, mental well-being, and a smooth return to the team, the ICC is working to make cricket a more supportive sport for all women.
At the heart of these guidelines is the "6 Rs" plan—Ready, Review, Restore, Recondition, Return, and Refine—which outlines a safe, step-by-step process for getting back on the field after childbirth. Along with physical recovery, the ICC encourages teams to offer extra help, such as flexible training schedules and support for childcare and travel. While every country will adapt these rules to fit their own local laws, this initiative is a major step in keeping top players in the game and creating better career paths for women in cricket.
The biggest change is moving from an unorganized, "case-by-case" system to a clear, official set of rules that prioritize a player's health and career. In the past, players had to negotiate their own individual deals with their cricket boards, which led to a lot of confusion. Now, the ICC provides a standard, science-based plan that sets specific medical and physical goals a player must reach before returning to intense training.
Additionally, the ICC has shifted the responsibility to the organizations themselves: boards are now expected to provide practical support—like travel help for infants and access to postnatal care—rather than viewing these as special favors. This change shifts the culture of the sport, treating pregnancy as a normal, manageable part of an athlete's career rather than an obstacle to it.
For a long time, female cricketers felt they had to choose between starting a family and their professional careers. Without official rules, many athletes navigated pregnancy and recovery in isolation, unsure of how to safely return to the high demands of the sport.
This lack of support—ranging from medical guidance to childcare—often led to unnecessary career anxiety and even premature retirement. These new ICC guidelines bridge that gap, providing the security and practical resources needed to ensure that becoming a mother is a manageable part of an athlete’s career, not the end of it.
When Serena Williams returned to tennis after maternity leave in 2018, her world ranking had plummeted, forcing her to compete unseeded in major tournaments. This sparked a global conversation about the "motherhood penalty" in sports, as critics argued that penalizing athletes for taking time off to have a child was inherently unfair.
Williams advocated for a change in how the sport handled returns from pregnancy, arguing that players should be able to use their pre-leave ranking to secure a seed. Her high-profile advocacy pressured tennis organizations to modernize their policies, eventually leading to rule changes that ensure female athletes are not professionally penalized for choosing to start a family.
Other global sports have already paved the way with modern maternity policies. Tennis updated its rules to protect the rankings of returning mothers, ensuring they wouldn't face top opponents in the very first round of a tournament. Football’s governing body, FIFA, introduced mandatory 14-week paid maternity leave and contract protection so clubs cannot fire players for becoming pregnant.
Meanwhile, in Athletics, governing bodies and major sponsors changed their rules to guarantee that female runners keep their contract pay and ranking points during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. These changes proved that with the right support, elite athletes can successfully return to the top of their game.
While the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) does not have a dedicated, sport-specific maternity policy, Indian women cricketers are covered by the country’s general labor laws, which provide for six months of paid maternity leave. Unlike some other international sports where high-profile athletes have famously navigated public returns to the sport, Indian women's cricket has yet to see a prominent player return to the national team setup after a public maternity sabbatical.
However, the introduction of the new ICC guidelines is a significant milestone, providing a clear framework that Indian officials can now use to better support players who choose to start families while remaining active in their professional careers.
Yes, these guidelines are a significant step toward a more professional and inclusive era for women's cricket. By providing a standardized, global framework, the ICC is elevating the sport’s infrastructure to match other major professional leagues. It ensures that athlete welfare is treated as a core organizational responsibility rather than an optional favor, moving the game toward a structure where elite female athletes are fully supported throughout their careers.