BCCI Approves Major Pay Hike for Women Cricketers and Domestic Officials After ODI World Cup Victory

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approved a major upward revision in match fees for women cricketers and domestic match officials, marking a significant step toward strengthening financial parity in Indian cricket.

The decision was ratified by the Board's Apex Council and comes in the backdrop of India's historic ODI World Cup triumph, which has further underlined the need to reward performances across the domestic structure.

Under the revised framework, senior women cricketers competing in domestic tournaments will now earn substantially higher match fees. Players in the playing XI for senior women's multi-day and one-day competitions will receive ₹50,000 per day, while reserve players will be paid ₹25,000 per day. This represents

a sharp increase from the earlier structure, where players earned ₹20,000 per day and reserves received half that amount.

In national women's T20 tournaments, the match fee has been set at ₹25,000 per day for players in the XI, with reserves earning ₹12,500. According to officials, a leading domestic woman cricketer participating regularly across formats can now expect to earn between ₹12 lakh and ₹14 lakh in a full season-nearly double what was possible earlier.

The Apex Council has also extended the pay hike to junior women cricketers. Players in the Under-23 and Under-19 categories will now earn ₹25,000 per match day, while reserves will receive ₹12,500, ensuring better financial support during the formative years of their careers.

Match officials have not been left out of the overhaul. Umpires and match referees officiating league matches in domestic competitions will now be paid ₹40,000 per day. For knockout games, the remuneration will range between ₹50,000 and ₹60,000 per day, depending on the match's significance and operational requirements.

With the new structure in place, umpires in Ranji Trophy league matches are expected to earn approximately ₹1.6 lakh per game, while knockout fixtures could fetch between ₹2.5 lakh and ₹3 lakh per match.

The BCCI believes the revised pay system will provide greater financial stability, incentivise high performance, and enhance the overall quality of India's domestic cricket ecosystem for both players and officials.