The Indian women’s cricket team finds itself on the brink of another early exit from the Women’s World Cup. After suffering three back-to-back losses against South Africa, Australia, and England, India now face the real threat of missing the semifinals of the 2025 edition, despite the tournament being hosted at home. This situation stands in stark contrast to the men’s team, which reached the 2023 World Cup final.

In a major announcement back in October 2022, then BCCI secretary Jay Shah declared that India’s women cricketers would receive the same match fees as their male counterparts. Since then, comparisons between the two teams have become more frequent, not just in terms of performance, but also regarding pay.

At present, the match fees are equal across genders: Rs 15 lakh for a Test, Rs 6 lakh for an ODI, and INR 3 lakh for a T20I. Earlier this year, the ICC also raised the bar by announcing a record prize pool of USD 13.88 million for the 2025 Women’s World Cup—surpassing the USD 10 million total from the men’s tournament in 2023.

However, when you move beyond match fees and look at the central contracts, the disparity is clear. Male cricketers fall under four grades: A+ (Rs 7 crore), A (RS 5 crore), B (Rs 3 crore), and C (Rs 1 crore).

BCCI central contracts – Indian Men’s Cricket team

In comparison, the women’s contract system has only three categories, with Grade A players earning Rs 50 lakh. That’s just half of what the lowest-grade male players receive. Grade B and C women earn Rs 30 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively.

BCCI Central Contracts – Indian Women’s Cricket Team

The gap widens further in franchise cricket. In the IPL, Rishabh Pant leads the charts with a Rs 27 crore contract. Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana, the highest-paid player in the WPL, earns Rs 3.4 crore almost nine times less than Pant.