India cricket introduces equal match fees for men and women
NEW DELHI, India (AP) — Players for the India men’s and women’s cricket teams will receive the same match fees, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said Thursday.
Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI, tweeted that men and women will receive 1.5 million rupees ($18,290) for a test match, 600,000 rupees ($7,317) for one-day internationals and 300,000 rupees ($3,658) for a T20 match.
“Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers,” Shah said.
Former India women’s captain Mithali Raj called it “a huge boost for women’s cricket.”
The announcement came after India won the women’s T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh earlier this month.
Former India test cricketer Kirti Azad said the BCCI should also introduce the much-delayed central contracts for women players.
Men have significantly more international matches than the women’s national team, and benefit from a base salary on offer through central contracts.
Mithali said “everything takes time.”
“One step at a time. The team has been doing very well for the past four or five years,” the cricket great said. “We are entering a new era for women cricketers.”
