When the Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced equal pay for its contracted women cricketers, the world lauded it as a harbinger of change. It’s a novel initiative that might have repercussions elsewhere, especially in corporate houses where the disparity in male and female workers’ pay is still stark. Their match fee has now been increased from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh in Tests. For ODIs, women will get Rs 6 lakh per match as against Rs 1 lakh, and in T20Is they will now get Rs 3 lakh—up from Rs 1 lakh. The figure definitely looks attractive. Since New Zealand Cricket is the only test-playing nation to bring parity in its pay structure, we must doff our hat to the BCCI’s efforts.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning. A lot needs to be done. Women cricketers still play less international cricket than their male counterparts. They have played just two Test matches since December 2014—compared to 80 by men—and will play only two more until 2025. According to the next International Cricket Council (ICC’s) Future’s Tour programme 2023–25, Indian women are expected to play around 65 international matches, including two Test matches, less than half the number of matches their male counterparts will play. For the sport to grow, the BCCI needs to concentrate on the grassroots. Domestic women players get less than half the match fee compared to men. A senior woman player’s fee was increased from Rs 12,500 to Rs 20,000 per day in September last year. In comparison, a senior male cricketer gets Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per day. Australia, considered a powerhouse in women’s cricket, has enhanced its domestic pay considerably to promote its cricket.
The disparity between men and women is huge in terms of central contracts. While top women cricketers get Rs 50 lakh a year, A+ contracted male players like Virat Kolhi and Rohit Sharma get Rs 7 crore. Yes, men generate more revenue, but the core objective of the BCCI’s constitution is to lay down policies, roadmaps and measures necessary for the promotion and development of cricket in the country.
Women’s cricket of late has been improving, both in terms of qyality and viewership. And the only way women cricketers will continue to get more recognition is when they get to play more games, apart from increasing the number of opportunities available at all levels.