In an attempt to bridge pay-parity between India's male and female international cricketers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) reconstituted apex council has matched match-fees of international women's cricketers with the same for their male counterparts.
As a result, according to a BCCI statement on Thursday, the women's cricketers will be paid Rs. 15 lakh, Rs. 6 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh, respectively, for Test, ODI and T20Is, respectively, they feature in.
The revision is at least a three-fold hike, with the match-fees for Test matches having been hiked six-times than the existing Rs. 2.5 lakh per Test.
While newly-elected BCCI president Roger Binny referred to the development as "a marquee decision on pay equity", secretary Jay Shah stated the move as "an important step towards tackling discrimination". Treasurer Ashish Shelar felt the decision will be a "game-changer" for women's cricket in India.
Match fees
| Format | Women | Men | |
| Existing | Revised | ||
| Test | Rs. 2.5 lakh | Rs. 15 lakh | Rs. 15 lakh |
| One-day International | Rs. 1 lakh | Rs. 6 lakh | Rs. 6 lakh |
| T20 International | Rs. 1 lakh | Rs. 3 lakh | Rs. 3 lakh |
It remains to be seen if the BCCI revises the annual retainer for women's cricketers as well. At present, the retainer for top women's cricketers in India is seven per cent of the same for top men's cricketers. Besides, the domestic match-fees structure for women's cricketers is also in need for a relook to create a feeder system.
Annual retainer
| Women | Men | |
| Grade A+ | NA | Rs. 7 crore |
| Grade A | Rs. 50 lakh | Rs. 5 crore |
| Grade B | Rs. 30 lakh | Rs. 3 crore |
| Grade C | Rs. 10 lakh | Rs. 1 crore |
Indian men to play 141 matches between 2023-27; Women to play 75 matches between 2022-25
According to the Future Tours Programme (FTP) released by the International Cricket Council, India’s men’s team is set to play 38 Tests, 42 ODIs and 61 T20Is in the four-year cycle from May 2023 to April 2027. This excludes the matches in the ICC’s multi-nation tournaments.
The first-ever women’s FTP released by ICC from May 2022 to April 2025, India’s women’s will feature in two Tests, 27 ODIs and 36 T20Is, besides the ICC tournaments.
With the same number of games as base, an Indian male cricketer who plays all the bilateral series in the four-year period will earn Rs. 10.05 crore through match-fees.
An India female cricketer who plays each bilateral game till April 2025 will take home Rs. 3 crore in the three-year period.
