Initially, the Indian women’s cricket was governed by the Women’s Cricket Association of India and not by BCCI, the latter being the governing body of cricket in India, and provided only a meager financial support to the players. Despite the fact that India got to the finals for the first time in the 2005 Women’s World Cup, which was held in South Africa, the women’s team hardly got any official match fees or prize money rather, some reports declare that the players were given only a few thousand rupees per match, showing the extent of the under funding and undervaluation the game underwent in India. There were no central contracts, very limited sponsorships, and almost no institutional support at all, thus making it quite tough for women to consider cricket as a career option.
Women’s cricket started being integrated into the BCCI’s structure and slowly the first signs of improvement were seen. Contracts and match fees were introduced, but the amounts were still very much below those of the male players. Women’s international match fees were at first much lower, the players were often getting only a small part of what the male cricketers were getting for Tests, ODIs, and T20 internationals. The domestic pay scales were even less, which reflected not only the low commercial profile but also the scarcity of opportunities available at that time.
The BCCI’s decision to give equal pay for women players in October 2022 was a major turning point in the cricketing world. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the decision of equalizing the match fees of both women and men’s players and as a result, the female players got the same amount that is ₹15 lakh, for ODIs ₹6 lakh, and for T20s ₹3 lakh as the male counterparts. The board officials termed it a milestone for gender equality in Indian cricket and of the women’s game being of a stronger foundation for growth.
However, the financial situation of women’s cricket at the international level was still a breakthrough at the international level but lagging behind in domestic as cricket. The fees for domestic female players were still low. The main Indian women’s cricketer on the domestic circuit was getting around ₹20,000 a day for playing class, while stand by players were getting around ₹10,000 a day. The junior teams had even lower pay scales. These small payments made it hard for the players in the domestic market to depend on cricket for their livelihood especially because there were not many matches in a season.
A major change took place in December 2025, sparked by India’s historic 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup victory at home and the new focus on developing the women’s game. Setting the pace for the trend, the BCCI doubled and more than domestic match fees for all tiers, with the seniors now earning ₹50,000 per day in one day and multi day formats and reserves ₹25,000 per day. The T20 match fees were also raised proportionately, and the junior players received pay hikes of a similar nature. Officials characterized this as one of the largest pay raises in the history of Indian women’s domestic cricket, intended to make professional cricket a financially viable career option.
Structural pay increases have been accompanied by the financial recognition of women’s cricket as a whole. The BCCI, apart from the ICC prize money, announced record cash rewards of ₹51 crore for the World Cup winning team, which is a clear indication of the increasing commercial and cultural value of women’s cricket in India. There are still inequalities between men and women in terms of central contracts and endorsements, but these changes represent a radical transformation from a predominantly amateur era where there was little pay to a professionalized system that offers much higher salaries acknowledging women’s cricket contribution and potential.
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