Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a hike in the fee for women’s domestic matches during an online meeting of its Apex Council Monday. Under the new proposed structure, the daily match fee for senior women’s tournaments (50-over and multi-day) will be increased to Rs 50,000 for the playing XI members and Rs 25,000 for reserves.
For senior women’s T20 matches, the revised rates will be Rs 25,000 and Rs 12,500, respectively.
In a similar vein, domestic T20 match fees have also been increased. The playing XI would now receive Rs 25,000 per match day in national T20 competitions, while reserves will get Rs 12,500.
Additionally, the Apex Council raised junior cricket players’ fees too. Reserves will receive Rs 12,500 in ODI games, while players in the Under-23 and Under-19 divisions will receive Rs 25,000.
The playing XI will get Rs 12,500 for T20 matches, while the reserves will get Rs 6,250.
Match officials are also set to benefit significantly under the proposed revisions, with a substantial increase in match fees for umpires and match referees in domestic tournaments.
For league-stage matches, officials are expected to earn Rs 40,000 per day. The remuneration will increase further during the knockout stages, with match fees ranging between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per day, depending on the importance and stage of the game within the competition.
The fee hike for domestic matches coming after the Indian women’s cricket team triumphed in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, beating South Africa in the final played in Navi Mumbai, is a clear indicator of the rising status of women’s cricket in the country. With the Women’s Premier League (WPL) ushering in riches for the top stars, it was the right time for the benefits to pass down to the players at the domestic level, as that will attract new talents and help in identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level.
