Women’s domestic cricketers in India have received a significant financial boost, with the BCCI more than doubling match fees for senior-level competitions. The revised structure was approved at the Apex Council meeting held in Mumbai on Monday.
Under the new system, players named in the playing XI of senior domestic matches will earn INR 50,000 per day, up from the previous INR 20,000. Reserve players will now receive INR 25,000 per day, ensuring improved compensation across squads.
The increase also extends to age-group cricket. Junior players in the first XI will now earn INR 25,000 per day, while reserves will take home INR 12,500. Until now, those figures stood at INR 10,000 and INR 5,000 respectively.
As a result, age-group cricketers who feature throughout a full season—including league matches and the final—can expect their seasonal earnings to rise from just over INR 2 lakh to around INR 5 lakh, marking a substantial step forward.
These revisions form part of the BCCI’s broader push to strengthen the domestic women’s game, particularly following India’s historic ODI World Cup triumph. There had been growing internal calls to reassess match fees, especially as the Women’s Premier League has expanded visibility and opportunity for players across the country.
It is understood that several senior state coaches and players had advocated for improved pay structures, arguing that better remuneration would help deepen and sustain the talent pool. At the junior level, the changes reflect rising participation and interest, fuelled by India’s back-to-back Under-19 Women’s World Cup titles.
The move builds on earlier progress made in 2022, when the BCCI equalised match fees for India’s men’s and women’s national teams. Since then, women cricketers have earned INR 15 lakh per Test, INR 6 lakh per ODI and INR 3 lakh per T20I—on par with their male counterparts.
However, while match fees continue to improve, central contract values remain unchanged. Players in the highest contract grade still earn INR 50 lakh annually, a figure that remains below the lowest pay bracket on the men’s side.
Even so, the latest increase represents a meaningful investment in women’s domestic cricket and signals the BCCI’s intent to further professionalise the pathway from grassroots to the international stage.
