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The Board of Control for Cricket in India has recently announced its decision to ensure female players are paid equally (on a match-by-match basis) to their male counterparts. This has been praised as a progressive step, as Board Secretary Jay Shah tweeted:
“I’m pleased to announce BCCI’s first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing pay equity policy for our contracted BCCI cricketers. The match fee for both Men and Women Cricketers will be [the] same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Indian Cricket.”
Prior to the historic day of October 27th, the female cricketers were earning Rs 4 lakh* for every test match, and Rs 1 lakh for every One Day International (ODI) or T20 match. Subsequent to this decision, they will be paid Rs 15 lakh for every test match, Rs 6 lakh for every ODI, and Rs 3 lakh for every T20 match. The decision was made unanimously in the 15th BCCI Apex Council Meeting.
The newly-appointed BCCI President Roger Binny also commended the decision, declaring that this was a step forward for women’s cricket and the sport as a whole.
However, there is no change in annual contracts, which stand at Rs 50 lakh for Grade A female cricketers, Rs 30 lakh for Grade B, and Rs 10 lakh for Grade C. Meanwhile, male cricketers can be paid anywhere between 1 and 7 Crores*, depending on their grade.
Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma and Smriti Mandhana who had just turned twenty became household names.
India is now the second country in international cricket to announce equal play, after New Zealand introduced the same pledge earlier this year. Indian Women’s cricket came into the limelight after the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup in England; despite not winning the final, the team greatly inspired fans. Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Deepti Sharma, and Smriti Mandhana became household names.
India will also host a women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) consisting of five teams, immediately after the World Cup ends in 2022. A cap of six oversea players per each eighteen-player squad will be implemented, and a total of 22 matches will be played. Though the BCCI is yet to finalize the schedule for the tournament, the matches are set to be over before the men's IPL begins, which will reportedly commence at the end of March.
This is another step towards creating a new and inclusive environment for upcoming female cricketers in India, who want to wear the Indian Jersey with pride. This new event is a potential game-changer, as domestic players will be able to compete in a tournament alongside international players.
“I applaud the BCCI for bringing women's match fees on par with men's. The Women's IPL is also coming soon, which will benefit a much larger number of our female cricketers, both domestic and international. It has the potential to change the lives of many uncapped players. But we must take things one step at a time.” former India captain Diana Edulji said.
As ordinary citizens of India applauded the news, celebrities expressed their praise too. Actor Shah Rukh Khan tweeted: “What a good front foot shot. Sports being such an equaliser (in more ways than one) hoping it will pave the way for others to follow.” Other celebrities, such as Anushka Sharma, Abhishek Bachchan and Tapsee Pannu, joined in on the celebrations and vocalised their support for their decision.
The world is still an unequal place for many, but this decision certainly reduces gender inequality within the Indian cricketing world; narrowing the gender gap must be a deliberate and ongoing process if it is to be successful. It is becoming increasingly likely that, as time goes on, we will see more sporting nations implementing equal pay for all of their players, irrespective of gender.
*Rs 1 lakh = 100,000 Indian Rupees
* 1 crore = 10 million