In a landmark decision towards reducing the gender pay gap in cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declared that the board will implement a new “pay equity policy” for its contracted women cricketers, effectively paying men and women cricketers the same match fees.
On Thursday, October 27, Jay Shah, the Honorary Secretary of the BCCI, revealed the “pay equity policy” as the first step towards tackling gender discrimination, promising that the cricket organisation will pay equal match fees to its centrally contracted female and male players to promote gender equality in cricket.
In the Twitter announcement made on October 27, 2022, Jay Shah stated,
“I’m pleased to announce BCCI’s first step towards tackling gender discrimination. We are implementing a 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 cricket.”
It has certainly been a long journey, but this is a new dawn in Indian women’s cricket.
Until now, the remuneration of Indian women’s team players was Rs 1 lakh for a white-ball match and Rs 4 lakh for a Test match. According to the “pay equity policy,” BCCI will pay Indian women’s cricket team players the same match fee as their male counterparts. For the Test match (INR 15 lakhs), for the ODI match (INR 6 lakhs), and for the T20I match (INR 3 lakhs).
“Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers and I thank the Apex Council for their support. Jai Hind,” Shah concluded.
The members of the 15th BCCI Apex Council passed the resolution unanimously, and everyone from former and current Indian cricket players to cricket enthusiasts, have lauded this historic decision. The board, however, is not the first to introduce pay parity. Earlier this year, New Zealand announced that NZ women cricketers will earn equal match fees as men.
BCCI president Roger Binny said in a statement: “In our Apex Council meeting today, we have made a marquee decision on pay equity for our women cricketers. Our women players will be paid the same match fees as men in international cricket. This decision sets the platform to grow and develop cricket. I believe this is a significant step forward for women’s cricket and the game overall.”
There won’t be any changes to the annual retainer payment scheme as of now, aside from the match-wise fees. According to the current grade system in place for Indian female cricketers, “Grade A,” “Grade B,” and “Grade C” players receive Rs 50 lakhs, Rs 30 lakhs, and Rs 10 lakhs, respectively. However, Indian male cricketers who take part in more matches receive anything from Rs 1 crore to Rs 7 crore, depending on their respective grades.
Social Media React
Cricket enthusiasts on social media relished the announcement of the new equal pay policy for both men and women cricketers by the BCCI and hailed this unprecedented move. From many sports figures to Bollywood celebrities, here’s how they reacted to the BCCI’s Pay Parity Move.
Indian women’s cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, tweeted on Thursday, “Truly a red letter day for Women’s Cricket in India with pay parity announced for women and men. Thank you @BCCI and @JayShah.”
Fellow female cricketers such as Rachael Haynes, Smriti Mandhana, Veda Krishnamurthy, and Taniyaa Sapna Bhatia, lauded the announcement. Bhatia tweeted, “This is absolutely fantastic news. I hope it encourages more girls (and their parents) to consider sports as a viable career. We need more female involvement in Indian sports, and this is a huge step forward. Thank you @BCCI.”
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who’s admired as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, also shared his immense joy and said that it’s a welcome step towards gender equality in the game and erasing discrimination from the sport.
Not only sports celebrities, but Bollywood celebrities, who are massive cricket enthusiasts, hailed this move. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who’s known for his brilliant portrayal of Kabir Khan in the out-and-out sports film “Chak de! India,” tweeted, quoting Jay Shah, that it was a terrific front-foot shot, and will open the door for others to follow. “Chak De! India” is a must-watch, being an influential film and a well-nuanced one, surrounding the themes of national integration, patriotism, sportsmanship, women empowerment, gender equality, and regaining one’s falsely stained reputation.
Actor Aftab Shivdasani shared his joy while appealing for including women on the BCCI committee, which would be a terrific move and inclusivity in its truest sense.
Anushka Sharma, who will play a role based on the life of former India bowler Jhulan Goswami in her forthcoming film “Chakda Xpress,” reposted the tweet BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s tweet and responded with three clapping emojis. Fellow actress Taapsee Pannu, who played the role based on the life of former Indian captain Mithali Raj in the 2022 film “Shaabash Mithu,” expressed her appreciation and said that it was a big step toward equal compensation for equal effort. She praised the BCCI for setting a good example.
Meanwhile, actor Akshay Kumar conveyed his gratitude to the BCCI after reading the tweet and added how he felt elated after reading the announcement. He added, saying that it was an excellent step that would encourage our female players to take up professional cricket in the long run.
Is “pay equity policy” enough?
For a straightforward answer: No, it’s not adequate. Yet, it illustrates a noteworthy milestone and a first step of many.
Both former team captains Shantha Rangaswamy and Diana Edulji shared their multi-decades-long careers, discussing how they never made a single penny. They played in an era when the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) ran the game and her teammates had to pay from their pockets, travel in unreserved compartments and share hotel accommodations with no facilities to play for the country, even at a World Cup, and match fees were unheard of.
Rangaswamy penned her thoughts on the BCCI’s milestone move for Indian Express, stating, “The board has taken a positive step, and let’s just appreciate it because it is the thought that counts — they want to take women’s cricket to greater heights. All of us should join hands and appreciate the gesture,” and hoped that this may be the first initiative of many.
The performance of the Indian women’s squad has witnessed a dramatic upswing in the past six years. India came close to defeating England in the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup final, turning a new page. The Mithali Raj-led team earnestly displayed their immaculate play and heart-pounding performances on the pitch, reaping acclaim from all. The team also advanced to the 2020 T20 World Cup final against Australia. Recently, it enjoyed tremendous victories which testified to the team’s unbridled passion for the game — by defeating the English team in ODIs for over 20 years, winning the Asia Cup for the seventh time in eight editions, taking silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and more.
Since playing cricket has never been a steady career for them or a dependable source of income, their devotion and tenacity for the game, perhaps, in one way, greater than that of their male counterparts. For instance, analysing the BCCI’s annual retainers, they are nothing compared to the male cricketers. Men in Blue receive greater remunerations, fame and global recognition along with glut of brand deals, endorsements, etc compared to women cricketers relying majorly only on their family and friends’ support.
While equal match fee is a significant step in closing the gender pay gap in the industry, “pay parity” in its truest sense won’t happen until women cricketers get more opportunities, including the chance to play more or at least equal numbers of domestic and international matches in all formats as their male counterparts, as well as widening global recognition moments. Only then can this action transcend beyond performative tokenism, given that the BCCI’s mandate is to promote the game.
The eagerly awaited women’s IPL (WIPL) tournament, which is scheduled to start in March 2023, might bridge this gap between domestic and international cricket, and bring more substantial transformations into the real world. The BCCI has also taken some encouraging steps by restarting the inter-zonal competitions in both ODIs and T20Is formats, laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s stars. These initiatives and “pay parity” will encourage teenagers and youth to play domestic cricket and consider the sports as a career. AFter all, little things matter in the long term.
