In a cricket crazy nation like India, the majority of the fans would know about the earnings of male cricketers, however, there will be very few who actually have an idea about how much a woman cricketer earns.
Amidst the talks of equal pay for both men and women, Cricket Australia is the only Board to ensure that there is gender parity in terms of pay for the international cricketers. However, the world’s richest cricket board which is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to bridge the yawning gap between the amounts earned by its male cricketers and female cricketers.
Here is a sneak peek into the top five earning India women’s cricketers:
1. Mithali Raj
The skipper of Indian ODI and Test team is the highest-earning woman cricketer in the country. The veteran right-hand bat has close to 7,000 runs in ODI cricket at a healthy average of 50.64 in 189 innings. She has muscled 53 half-centuries and seven centuries in her prolific career spanning over 20 years. The 37-year old has also featured in 10 Tests and has scored 663 runs in 16 innings at an average of 51. Mithali has a grade-B contract from BCCI according to which she earns Rs 30 lakh annually. Off the field, the India captain has endorsed big brands like Allen Solley, American Tourister, NextGen Fitness Studio and Royal Challenge.
Mithali Raj has been a strong advocate for women’s version of the Indian Premier League, which shall open doors for a lot of talented female cricketers, providing them a platform to showcase their talents. Very recently, BCCI held the Men’s IPL 2021 Auction, however, there is no such news for women’s IPL at the moment. The fans have time and again demanded the same from BCCI, hoping that the request is taken into consideration this year.
2. Harmanpreet Kaur
The 31-year old from Moga, a small town in Punjab, became the first Indian woman cricketer to lead an Indian side to the final of the Women’s World T20. The skipper of the T20 side is a highly recognized talent outside India as well since she has been playing for Sydney Thunder in Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) hosted by Australia and Lancashire Thunder in Kia Super League held in England. Kaur is a right-hand bat and a right arm off-spinner. She has over 2,000 runs in 102 T20I innings matches. She even has a T20I century to her name. apart from this, the offie has scalped 29 T20I wickets with best figures of 4/23. Harmanpreet has a grade-A contract from BCCI and earns Rs 50 lakhs. CEAT, which is one of the biggest players in the sponsorship game, is her bat sponsor. Retail brand Natural-B fruit juice of ITC has Harmanpreet Kaur as its brand ambassador.
3. Smriti Mandhana
The southpaw from Sangli is one of the most popular women’s cricketers of the nation. Smriti Mandhana grabbed the limelight with her stellar performance in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017. The 23-year old opening bat has been a regular for the Indian women’s team as she has played 2 Tests, 51 ODIs and 75 T20Is. She averages over 43 in ODIs and has over 1700 runs in 73 T20I innings. India’s T20 vice-captain has also been a part of the IPL Women’s Challenge and Women’s Big Bash League tournaments. She has a grade-A contract with BCCI according to which she earns Rs 50 lakhs. Mandhana’s bat sponsor is Hero MotoCorp and she also has a tie-up with the energy drink company Red Bull.
4. Poonam Yadav
The 28-year-old leggie from Uttar Pradesh played an important role in India’s journey to its first-ever World T20 final. She picked up 10 wickets in the competition and was the second-highest wicket-taker behind Australia’s Megan Schutt. Poonam made her debut in 2013 and has played 1 Test, 46 ODIs, and 67 T20Is for India. She has 170 wickets which has pushed BCCI to give her a Grade A contract. She earns rupees 50 lakhs annually. Her performance in the T20 World Cup in Australia might earn her a WBBL contract in the upcoming season.
5. Jhulan Goswami
The Indian pace spearhead from Bengal has been one of the best bowlers for India. The 37-year old hung her boots from the T20 format but she continues to play ODIs. Goswami has featured in 10 Tests, 182 ODIs and 68 T20Is for the Women in Blue and has picked up 321 wickets, out of which 225 are scalped in ODIs. She earns an annual income of Rs. 30 lakhs, courtesy Grade B contract awarded to her by the BCCI.
Loves all things female cricket