"BCCI BATS FOR PAY PARITY

 'New era of equality’    

In a significant decision, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced a “pay equity policy”, saying that its centrally-contracted men and women players would get the same match fees.The newly formed apex council passed the resolution unanimously at its first meeting. BCCI has marked its debut in batting for gender-neutral pay grades. This has brought one of the most-awaited reforms in Indian cricket which women have been warming up to for long.  . By leveling the playing field in cricket —the most popular sport in India — the BCCI has sent out a strong message on gender equality and pay parity.

With this, India has become the second country in international cricket to implement equal pay. Earlier this year, New Zealand Cricket announced equal match fees for its women players.

Women's cricket in India has been on a pedestal since India's runner-up finish at the ICC Women's World Cup in 2017. Five years after that night in London, the girls will be drawing the same salary as their male counterparts in international cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India's new pay equity policy promises Rs 15 lakh for a Test, Rs 6 lakh for an ODI, and Rs 3 lakh for a T20I for the centrally-contracted women cricketers. It is a massive hike as the players currently earn Rs 1 lakh for an ODI and a T20I and Rs 2.5 lakh for a Test match. Former and current players lauded the decision as this could inspire more women to pick up the bat and ball and chase their dreams. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur called it a "red letter day for women's cricket in India" in a tweet

However, the annual retainership for women cricketers remains the same — Rs 50 lakh for Grade A, Rs 30 lakh for Grade B, and Rs 10 lakh for Grade C. The men, who play more games, are paid Rs 1-7 crore, depending on their grade.

More importantly, could equality in pay also translate into equity for girls who are dreaming of a career in the sport since the women in blue scripted history in the World Cup final in 2017 – without taking home the prize, they won hearts and a place for women’s cricket in India. Indian women’s cricket has upturned since the team reached the final of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and also won the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 2022.

This landmark decision will certainly help in removing gender disparity and encourage more girls to take cricket as a profession. In the end, these kinds of small steps would lead to major decisions in the future.   

By Nishu