India captain Harmanpreet Kaur says she was never troubled by the “yawning gap” in central contracts between men and women, arguing it has long been “driven by market forces”.
But after her team’s historic ODI World Cup triumph, she believes the numbers will “now be closer in value”.
The BCCI equalised match fees in 2022, but central contracts remain worlds apart: men in the top tier earn Rs 7 crore annually; women get Rs 50 lakh.
Harmanpreet agrees with teammate Smriti Mandhana’s long-held view that the structure reflects revenue realities — and insists that has begun to shift.
“It will change now. That’s what I feel,” the captain told PTI during a visit to the agency’s headquarters, recalling how the women’s contract was worth just Rs 15 lakh before the 2017 World Cup run.
“After winning this trophy, I am sure there will be a lot of improvements. And we will see financially also,” she added.
Harmanpreet is clear-eyed about where the money has come from. “Before this, all the revenue was coming through men’s cricket. We were grateful that BCCI made us a part of it and supported women’s cricket when it needed the most.”
But she has long believed that only performance could tilt the market. “One thing we always knew was that we will have to contribute, and then only we can come to that point. Now we can talk about equal payment and equal recognition.”
The World Cup win in Navi Mumbai on 2 November, she said, has already shifted perceptions.
“Post November 2, the market value of women’s cricket has gone up because of the trophy. If we hadn’t won it, we would still be stuck there. If we want change, we have to win the same number of trophies for the country. Then people will automatically start giving us the same value.”
‘It’s not over yet’
Harmanpreet, expected to lead India at the 2026 T20 World Cup in the UK, is not looking at hanging up her boots anytime soon.
“Winning the World Cup with the best team, supporters, and at home surely is a dream, but it’s not over yet. Another trophy awaits. We want to celebrate and move on to the next phase,” she said.
On the road ahead, the captain rejected the idea that India lack depth, especially in pace. “We do have a team of fast bowlers, and we’ve seen how Kranti Goud and Shree Charani did for our side. These youngsters gave us some great moments. As a captain, I never felt I had to work hard on them — they believed in themselves and delivered.”
She added that a “huge pool” is in the making, with more players ready to break through.
Harmanpreet also credited BCCI secretary and ICC chairman Jay Shah as a pivotal figure in the rise of women’s cricket.
“Jay Shah has been the biggest contributor. He supported us even when we hadn’t won any ICC trophy. We really wanted to do it for him. He gave us everything we needed,” she said. “He couldn’t express much on the ground when we won; he just said, ‘I am very happy’, and that was all we needed.”
