Huge Pay Difference Between India's Men's And Women's Cricketers Revealed

Here’s a detailed look at their salaries - and the stark differences that still remain.

While India’s women cricketers now earn the same per-match fees as the men, their annual retainers remain far lower.

Source : PTI

Both Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams are enjoying a golden era. The men’s team has lifted back-to-back titles - winning T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025, while women’s team is just one victory away from creating history in Women’s ODI World Cup 2025.

Together, they have brought immense pride to Indian cricket. But have you ever wondered how much both teams earn from the BCCI?

Here’s a detailed look at their salaries - and the stark differences that still remain.

Equal Match Fees for Men and Women

In a landmark move, BCCI introduced equal match fees for both men’s and women’s players. Under the current structure, cricketers - regardless of gender - earn:

₹15 lakh for a Test match

₹6 lakh for an ODI

₹3 lakh for a T20 International

Big Gap in Annual Retainer Contracts

While match fees are equal, the annual contracts reveal a significant pay gap between male and female cricketers.

Top tier difference – ₹6.5 crore:

Men’s ‘Grade A+’ players (like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) earn ₹7 crore per year.

Women’s ‘Grade A’ players (like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana) earn ₹50 lakh per year.

Second tier difference - over 16 times:

Men’s ‘Grade A’ players receive ₹5 crore annually.

Women’s ‘Grade B’ players earn ₹30 lakh per year.

Third tier difference - 30 times:

Men’s ‘Grade C’ players get ₹1 crore annually.

Women’s ‘Grade C’ players receive ₹10 lakh per year (with no fourth category for women yet).

While India’s women cricketers now earn the same per-match fees as the men, their annual retainers remain far lower. BCCI’s step toward equal match payments was historic - but the contract gap shows that true pay parity in Indian cricket is still a work in progress.

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