The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has established a structured annual contract system for both the Indian men's and women's cricket teams. These contracts aim to provide financial security and recognize the players' contributions to the national team. While both teams operate under a grading system, significant disparities exist in the remuneration, though efforts have been made to bridge the gap.

BCCI's Contract Structure for Women Cricketers

The BCCI's central contracts for senior women cricketers are divided into three grades:

• Grade A: ₹50 lakh per year. Players in this grade include Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma.
• Grade B: ₹30 lakh per year. This grade includes players like Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, and Richa Ghosh.
• Grade C: ₹10 lakh per year. Emerging players like Titas Sadhu, Shreyanka Patil, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, and Uma Chetry are placed in this category, along with established players like Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, and Yastika Bhatia.

In addition to the annual retainer fee, women cricketers also earn match fees for every game they play:

• Test Match: ₹15 lakh per match.
• ODI: ₹6 lakh per match.
• T20I: ₹3 lakh per match.

BCCI's Contract Structure for Men Cricketers

The BCCI's central contracts for senior men cricketers are divided into four grades:

• Grade A+: ₹7 crore per year. This top-tier grade includes players who perform consistently across all formats, such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja.
• Grade A: ₹5 crore per year. This grade includes players like Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant.
• Grade B: ₹3 crore per year.
• Grade C: ₹1 crore per year.

Similar to the women's team, men cricketers also earn match fees in addition to their annual retainer fee:

• Test Match: ₹15 lakh per match.
• ODI: ₹6 lakh per match.
• T20I: ₹3 lakh per match.

Comparison

The most significant disparity lies in the annual retainer fees. The highest-paid male cricketers in Grade A+ receive ₹7 crore annually, while the highest-paid female cricketers in Grade A receive ₹50 lakh annually. This is a stark contrast, highlighting the existing pay gap. However, the match fees for both men and women are now equal across all formats, a progressive step taken by the BCCI to promote gender pay equity in cricket.

Even with equal match fees, a substantial difference remains in the overall earnings due to the retainer fees. Furthermore, endorsements and other opportunities tend to be higher for male cricketers, widening the income gap. For instance, Harmanpreet Kaur's total income, including endorsements, was approximately INR 2.5 crore for the financial year 2024-25. In comparison, top male cricketers can earn significantly more through IPL contracts, endorsements, and other ventures.

The BCCI's move to equalize match fees is commendable, yet the retainer fee disparity indicates that more progress is needed to achieve true pay equity. The central contract system is designed to reward performance and contribution, and as women's cricket continues to gain popularity and generate revenue, a re-evaluation of the retainer fees may be warranted.