The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly preparing to announce a massive ₹125 crore cash prize for the Indian women's cricket team if they capture their first-ever ICC title on Sunday,
November 2, when they face South Africa in the Women's ODI World Cup final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
According to a PTI report, the BCCI intends to reward Harmanpreet Kaur and her team with the same bonus that was granted to the men's side after their T20 World Cup victory last year - a gesture that would mark a historic stride toward gender equality in Indian cricket.
The cricket board, which had already implemented an equal pay policy for men and women in match fees, now appears set to extend that principle to performance-based incentives as well.
"The BCCI supports equal pay for men and women and hence there are discussions that if our girls win the World Cup, the reward would not be anything less compared to the men's global triumph," a senior BCCI official told PTI.
In 2024, the BCCI awarded ₹125 crore to Rohit Sharma's T20 World Cup-winning team, a sum shared among players and support staff. Extending the same recognition to the women's team would mark a landmark acknowledgment of their achievements and the growth of the women's game in India.
The potential prize also highlights how far Indian women's cricket has come since its heartbreaking loss in the 2017 World Cup final at Lord's, where England edged India by just nine runs. Back then, the players received ₹50 lakh each, along with bonuses for coaches and support staff.
Now, eight years later, both the expectations and the rewards have multiplied. Should India lift the trophy on Sunday, it will not only bring long-awaited glory but also send a strong message about equality, respect, and recognition for women's cricket in India - a truly transformative step forward.
