According to Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI, India’s centrally contracted women cricketers would receive the same match fees as their male counterparts for participation in international matches under the board’s new pay equity policy.
According to this policy, women will earn INR 15 lakh for a Test, INR 6 lakh for an ODI, and INR 3 lakh for a T20I, just like men. Compared to the present flat salaries of INR 1 lakh for an ODI or T20I appearance and INR 4 lakh for a Test match, these sums are much greater.
Shah commended the BCCI’s Apex Council for supporting the implementation of the change, which he described as a “commitment to our women cricketers” and called the action “the first step towards combating prejudice.”
The BCCI’s annual retainers for female players have not changed yet. The current pay scale for retainers is INR 50 lakh for those in the highest bracket and INR 30 lakh and INR 10 lakh for those in Grade B and C. In contrast, there are four categories for male cricketers, with Grade A+ players earning INR 7 crore and Grades A, B, and C players earning INR 5 crore, INR 3 crore, and INR 1 crore, respectively.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI has been in contact with the best women’s cricketers in the nation to discuss adjusting the annual retainers. The captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, is thought to have been present at a meeting that was held in the board’s Mumbai headquarters.
Aside from contracts and match fees, the board is believed to have discussed the maiden women’s IPL, which the BCCI officially announced at the Annual General Meeting earlier this month. They also discussed a procedure for TV rights and franchise ownership. There are ongoing disputes about how the league would choose its players, including whether to use a draught or an auction.
In recent months, Indian women have had great success. Following their silver-medal performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August, they swept England 3-0 in an ODI series in England in September. India defeated Sri Lanka earlier this month to win the Asia Cup for a record-tying seventh time in Bangladesh. Next, they will host Australia for five Twenty20 Internationals in November and December.