Do Indian men women cricketers really get paid equally?:Harmanpreet’s team emulates Kapil, Dhoni Rohit’s men but long way to go before pay parity

When India’s women cricketers lifted their maiden ODI World Cup in Navi Mumbai on November 2, the moment was historic but what followed has stirred debate. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced ₹51 crore in prize money for the team, almost 60% less than the ₹125 crore awarded to the men’s side after their T20 World Cup triumph in June 2024. The gap has revived the question- are India’s male and female cricketers really paid equally? To put it simply, not quite. In October 2022, the BCCI proudly declared its pay equity policy, promising equal match fees for men and women- ₹15 lakh per Test, ₹6 lakh per ODI and ₹3 lakh per T20I. That part has indeed been implemented. A woman playing for India now earns the same per match as a man. Also Read | PM Modi to meet World Cup-winning Team India on November 5 Pay parity stops at match fees For the 2024-25 season, women’s annual retainerships are structured across three grades- ₹50 lakh (Grade A), ₹30 lakh (Grade B) and ₹10 lakh (Grade C). Their male counterparts, on the other hand, earn between ₹1 crore and ₹7 crore a year in retainer contracts. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja fall under Grade A+- each receiving ₹7 crore annually, before match fees. Stark difference between the prize money given to men’s and women’s teams for winning tournament Even the prize money tells a similar story. The Indian men’s team received ₹125 crore for their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. The women’s team, despite winning a historic first-ever ODI World Cup, were handed ₹51 crore- about 59% less. The BCCI has often highlighted its efforts to “bolster women’s cricket” and the pay-equity move was a landmark decision. But the contrast in overall earnings remains glaring. Endorsements dictated by marketability Off the field, too, the gap widens further. Endorsements- a major income stream- are dictated by marketability. Virat Kohli reportedly earns ₹12 crore for a single sponsored Instagram post, powered by his 274 million followers. While such numbers are out of any board’s control, it underlines how visibility and commercial value still tilt heavily in favour of men. So while Harmanpreet Kaur’s team may now share the same match fee as Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav-led sides and may have joined the likes of Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the World Cup-winning team but genuine equality, both on and off the balance sheet, is still a few milestones away.