Indian women Cricketers to earn the same pay as men; Historic decision by BCCI

• Image Credit: The bridge

• Oct 27, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Indian women's cricketers will now receive INR 15 lakh for every Test, INR 6 lakh per ODI, and INR 3 lakh per T20I.

Digital Desk: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to charge men's and women's cricket teams similar match fees. BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced on Twitter. 

"I'm glad to announce the first move taken by @BCCI to combat discrimination. For our contracted @BCCIWomen cricketers, we are introducing a pay equity policy. As we enter a new age of gender equality in Indian cricket, the match fee for both men and women cricketers will be the same "On Thursday, Shah tweeted.

According to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, India's centrally contracted women cricketers earn the same match fees as their male counterparts for appearances in international matches under the board's new pay equity policy. 

Women cricketers, like men's cricket players, will earn INR 15 lakh for a Test, INR 6 lakh for an ODI, and INR 3 lakh for a T20I under this scheme. These sums are much greater than the existing INR 1 lakh fixed fee for an ODI or T20I appearance, and INR 4 lakh for a Test match.

Former Captain of Indian women's cricket also appreciated the decision saying that Indian Women Cricket team is ushering into a new era, she also tweeted  thanking BCCI secretary Jay Shah and BCCI for taking such a big step.

While citing the decision as "the first step toward addressing prejudice," Shah hailed the BCCI's Apex Council for its assistance in putting it into action, which he described as a "commitment to our women cricketers." 

As of now, there have been no modifications to the BCCI's annual retainers for female players. Those in the highest retainer band currently earn INR 50 lakh, while those in Grade B and Grade C earn INR 30 lakh and INR 10 lakh, respectively. 

Male cricketers are separated into four categories, with Grade A+ players earning INR 7 crore and Grade A, B, and C players earning INR 5 crore, 3 crores, and 1 crore, respectively.

The skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, is reported to have attended a meeting at the board's Mumbai headquarters. 

Aside from contracts and match fees, the maiden women's IPL, which the BCCI formally announced at the AGM earlier this month, is said to have been on the agenda, with the board putting together a procedure for TV rights and franchise ownership. There are also ongoing arguments about whether the league will use a draught or an auction to choose players. 

Women in India have enjoyed a lot of success in recent months. They followed up their silver-medal performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in August with a 3-0 ODI series whitewash of England in September.