In a historic move, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced equal pay for its teams which means that women cricketers will be paid on par with their men counterparts. BCCI secretary Jay Shah took to Twitter to announce the development. “I’m pleased to announce BCCI’s first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing a pay equity policy for our contracted women 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,” Shah tweeted.
From now on, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will earn match fees of ₹15 lakh per Test, ₹6 lakh per ODI and ₹3 lakh per T20I, the same as their men counterparts.
Is BCCI the First Cricket Board to do so?
No, BCCI is the second such Board with New Zealand Cricket being the first cricket body to ratify such an agreement.
When Did NZC Passed the Proposal?
On July 5 this year, it came into effect on August 1.
What did it Say?
NZC and the players’ association signed a five-year deal and the agreement will see women’s players at both international and domestic level receive the same match fees as men across all formats and competitions.
The agreement came into play on August 1, and will also see professional women’s players receive equity in matters such as travel, accommodation, and the wider playing and training environment.
Landmark day for all levels of cricket in New Zealand 🏏 #CricketNationhttps://t.co/NAcTp44cPV
— WHITE FERNS (@WHITE_FERNS) July 4, 2022
How Did It Change Women’s Cricket In New Zealand?
The top three domestic women’s players in each Major Association are now eligible for a maximum of $19,146 (an increase from $3,423), followed by $18,646 ($3,423) for sixth place and $18,146 ($3,423) for 12th place.
The number of domestic contracts for women also rose from 54 to 72 under the deal while men will receive larger retainers as a result of their increased participation in matches, formats, and training and playing time.
Meanwhile, in India the wage gap between men and women cricketers are massive. A male cricketer with a Category A+ contract earns Rs 7 crore, while the women get only Rs 50 lakh.
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