The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a significant overhaul of the payment framework for women’s domestic cricketers, marking one of the most substantial fee increases in recent years for the women’s game at the domestic level.
This revision not only boosts match fees across formats but also signals the board’s continued efforts to professionalize and strengthen India’s women’s cricket structure.
Under the newly approved pay scale, female players representing their state sides in domestic matches will now earn much higher fees per match, irrespective of format. According to the revised structure, a player selected in the Playing XI of a women’s domestic one-day or multi-day game will receive ₹50,000 per day, more than double the previous rate of ₹20,000. This increase reflects the BCCI’s intent to align compensation with the growing competitiveness and workload of women’s domestic competitions.
Players named in the reserves those who are part of the squad but do not feature in the XI will also benefit, receiving ₹25000 per game
In the shorter T20 format, the fee structure has been similarly upgraded. Members of the playing eleven will now be remunerated ₹25,000 per match, while reserve players will earn ₹12,500. These figures represent a sharp jump from the earlier structure, where the playing eleven earned ₹12,500 for one-day matches and proportionally lower amounts for T20s. The enhancement broadly acknowledges the increased time, effort, and fitness demands placed on players across different formats.
Fee Increases Across Age Categories
The restructured pay scales extend beyond senior women’s competitions. Junior categories, such as under-23 and under-19 tournaments, have also seen their daily match fees elevated. In these age groups, players in the playing XI will now receive ₹25,000 per day, with reserve players getting ₹12,500 for one-day and multi-day games. For T20 encounters in these age brackets, those amounts are halved ₹12,500 for playing XI members and ₹6,250 for reserves. These increases provide younger cricketers with better financial incentives as they progress through the ranks of domestic cricket.
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The timing of this pay revision comes at a moment when women’s cricket in India is experiencing increasing visibility and success internationally. With more competitive fixtures, expanded domestic tournaments, and rising viewer interest particularly after India’s strong performances on the global stage BCCI’s move appears aimed at ensuring that cricketers at all levels are compensated more fairly for their contributions.
While the BCCI had previously introduced equal match fees for men’s and women’s international fixtures a landmark step towards pay equity similar parity at the domestic level remained limited. At the international level, women now receive the same match fees as their male counterparts: ₹15 lakh for Tests, ₹6 lakh for ODIs, and ₹3 lakh for T20Is, but central contract earnings still differ.
This latest revision of domestic pay rates follows discussions within the board about ensuring that domestic cricketers can pursue the sport as a viable profession rather than as a secondary pursuit. Historically, many domestic players, especially women, struggled to sustain themselves financially due to relatively modest remuneration despite the time and commitment required. This revamped pay structure is designed to alleviate such concerns, enabling players to focus more on performance and less on economic uncertainties.
The fee increase forms part of a broader reconsideration of domestic cricket pay across genders. While the BCCI has already raised domestic match fees for male players significantly in the past with senior men’s players earning up to ₹60,000 per day depending on experience and match count the women’s increases aim to provide a more robust and competitive wage landscape at the grassroots level as well.
The board’s approach also includes calibrating pay based on experience and match exposure, with scaled increments for players who have participated in higher numbers of games. Although the current revision for women does not differentiate between experience brackets in the same way the men’s structure does, the unified higher baseline creates a stronger platform for all players.
Future discussions may revisit how to integrate experience-linked scaling for women’s domestic players as tournaments expand. Analysts and stakeholders believe that sustained increases like these could encourage more girls and young women to pursue cricket professionally, addressing one of the traditional bottlenecks in talent development. Enhanced pay reassures aspiring athletes that their careers can be both competitive and financially sustainable.
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The revised fee structure is expected to take effect in the upcoming domestic season, subject to final approvals and logistical scheduling. With this move, the BCCI underscores its commitment to fostering a healthier domestic earnings environment for women cricketers, complementing its existing international pay equity measures and broader investments in the women’s game.
In summary, by considerably boosting match fees for women’s domestic cricket, the BCCI is not only improving financial rewards but also promoting greater professionalism, competitive balance, and long-term growth for the sport. This could ultimately have a ripple effect across the entire cricketing ecosystem, helping to elevate standards and broaden participation in women’s cricket throughout India.
