Hereafter India men and women cricketers to get equal match fees, confirms BCCI

Cricketers are the only professionals in India who get media attention with ease. Like when they score a century, claim a hat trick, create a record, involve in a titanic tussle, they hit the headlines for all the reasons.

Cricket is deemed a ‘religion’ in this country. There is no doubt that it’s the most-watched sport in India. Indian cricketers get paid handsomely for representing the country and they are known to lead a luxurious life.

Apart from earning in the international arena, they also get tonnes of bonuses from the cash-rich Indian Premier League. To put it in simple terms, earning money for them is as easy as a pie.

Cricketers also love to lead the team by the epitome of class. We just can’t judge their character based on their attitude on the field. They play with passion, pride, grit and determination to win games and in the process, some display sheer aggressiveness. But off the field, they are totally different people altogether.

However, always men cricketers get all the attention and moreover, they have been earning more than female cricketers. The majority of the fans felt that it was nothing but gender discrimination.

Meanwhile, in the latest development, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the good news to women cricketers. BCCI has announced that the women-contracted cricketers will get the same match fee as their male counterparts.

“I’m pleased to announce BCCI’s first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing pay equity policy for our contracted BCCI 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.

“The BCCI Women cricketers will be paid the same match fee as their male counterparts. Test (INR 15 lakhs), ODI (INR 6 lakhs), T20I (INR 3 lakhs). Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers and I thank the Apex Council for their support. Jai Hind,” he added.

Even former India captain Mithali Raj welcomed the decision, saying: “This is a historic decision for women’s cricket in India! The pay equity policy along with the WIPL next year, we are ushering into a new era for women’s cricket in India. Thank you Jay Shah Sir and the BCCI for making this happen. Really happy today.”