Merry Christmas! BCCI Announces Fee Hike For Women Cricketers

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has cleared a major pay rise for women's domestic players, with match fees increasing up to 2.5 times across age groups and formats. The change, approved at the Apex Council meeting on 22 December 2025, is positioned as a big financial boost for the women's game.

Senior women in the playing XI will now earn Rs 50,000 per day in one-day formats, up from Rs 20,000. Reserves receive Rs 25,000, more than doubling the previous Rs 10,000 rate. Junior players and T20 fees have also been scaled up, creating a more balanced income structure across competitions.

BCCI pay hike for women domestic cricketers and new pay structure details

The BCCI note placed before the Apex Council explained that the revision covers senior and junior women's tournaments, including T20 fixtures. Under the earlier system, an average senior domestic cricketer earned around Rs 2 lakh per season if the team only reached league stages, limiting full-time professional ambitions for many players.

Officials have now detailed a revised slab that applies different rates for one-day and T20 matches, while keeping a clear gap between playing XI and reserve players. The board also confirmed that these changes apply across domestic tournaments, bringing a consistent reward pattern for cricketers who feature at different levels during a season.

BCCI pay hike for women domestic cricketers in senior and junior formats

In senior women's one-day tournaments, playing XI members will receive Rs 50,000 per day and reserves Rs 25,000 per day. For T20 games, senior players in the XI will get Rs 25,000 per match, with reserves earning Rs 12,500. These figures represent the sharpest rise since the 2021 review.

Junior women's tournaments have also seen strong increases. Players in the junior playing XI are now entitled to Rs 25,000 per day in one-day games, with reserves earning Rs 12,500. For junior T20 matches, the rates are Rs 12,500 for the XI and Rs 6,250 for reserves, bringing younger cricketers closer to senior pay levels.

BCCI pay hike for women domestic cricketers compared with previous payments

Earlier, senior women in the playing XI received Rs 20,000 per day and reserves Rs 10,000. Junior players were on Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively in one-day games. In all women's domestic T20 tournaments, the applicable amounts were exactly half of those one-day rates, maintaining a lower-earning format across age groups.

The last revision came in 2021, when the senior per diem was lifted from Rs 12,500 to Rs 20,000. That change is now overshadowed by the latest increase. The BCCI has also indicated that it is examining men's annual contracts, suggesting wider contract discussions are active alongside the women's domestic review.

During Jay Shah's stint, the board introduced central contracts for India's women and aligned international match fees with the men's team. Shah now serves as president within the ICC, where similar conversations on women's cricket structures continue. Domestically, Mithun Manhas has taken over as BCCI president and is continuing this agenda.

Under Mithun Manhas, the board has framed the pay revision as part of a longer commitment to a stronger domestic eco-system for women's cricket. By lifting fees across senior and junior levels, and rewarding reserves more fairly, the BCCI aims to make a season's earnings more sustainable for players who are still building international careers.

For many young cricketers, the new structure could help justify investing more time in training and travel, instead of juggling extra jobs or studies for financial reasons. With higher match fees and clearer growth from junior to senior cricket, the decision is expected to influence how women plan professional futures within the Indian domestic system.