BCCI boosts match fees for women cricketers in domestic circuit

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a hike in match fees for the women’s domestic matches in its latest Apex Council meeting, marking a major step forward for the women’s game.

The BCCI's bold move arrives amid the explosive growth of women's cricket, surging in both popularity and infrastructure. The board rolled out pivotal reforms to bolster the women's game domestically, with ripple effects reaching the international stage. 

Going forward, the BCCI has introduced a uniform match fee structure for women's domestic cricketers. Players in the starting XI will earn ₹50,000 per day, while those on the bench will receive ₹25,000 per day. At the age-group levels, starting XI players get ₹25,000 per day, with bench players earning ₹12,500. This decision followed a recent meeting to review pay for players and umpires, resulting in a unanimous hike for all women's cricketers.

Previously, senior women's tournaments paid ₹20,000 per day for the XI and ₹10,000 for reserves, while juniors earned ₹10,000 (XI) or ₹5,000 (bench). Under the old system, a full senior season yielded ₹2 lakh—even for those playing every match. Fees have now effectively doubled. For domestic T20s specifically, playing XI members will receive ₹25,000, and bench players ₹12,500.

The BCCI's previous match fee revision for women cricketers occurred in 2021, raising senior players' daily rate from ₹12,500 to ₹20,000—the last major adjustment prior to this one.

After India’s ICC 50-over World Cup triumph, expectations grew for a major overhaul of player remuneration, especially in domestic cricket, and in 2022 the BCCI responded by declaring that women cricketers would receive the same match fees as the men’s team.

Under this equal-pay policy, any player appearing in a Test match earns ₹15 lakh, while those featuring in ODIs and T20Is are paid ₹6 lakh and ₹3 lakh per match, respectively.