Fans Can’t Believe How Little Mithali Raj And Team Were Paid During The 2005 World Cup. It’s Sad!
India just witnessed one of the most historic moments as the Indian Women's Cricket team lifted the 2025 Women's World Cup with a 52-run victory over South Africa.
India just witnessed one of the most historic moments as the Indian Women’s Cricket team lifted the 2025 Women’s World Cup with a 52-run victory over South Africa. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s final catch made us all emotional. Amid the Indian women’s cricket team’s historic victory, a video of former Indian captain Mithali Raj is making the rounds, in which she discusses the price each player receives before joining the BCCI. During an interaction with Lallantop, she was questioned about each player’s contract. Read to know more.
What Mithali Raj Said
Mithali Raj recalled how, during the 2005 World Cup, players earned the bare minimum despite reaching the finals. At the same time, there were no annual contracts to match fees since the women’s team wasn’t under the BCCI yet. She also pointed out that, after finishing as runner-ups, each player would receive only Rs 1000 per match for the eight games they played. Financial support for women’s cricket began only after it came under the BCCI umbrella, which later introduced per-series payments and, more recently, pay equity.
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The women’s team’s win was more of a validation they got just a few years back. During its 15th Apex Council meeting in October 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took a bold step toward wage parity for men and women cricketers. They determined that Indian women players will earn the same match fees as male cricketers.
Also Read: Here’s How Smriti Mandhana’s Fiance Palash Muchhal Celebrated Indian Women’s World Cup Win!
There were many disagreements at the time, with many claiming that women’s cricket produced no important events or cash. With time, the criticism grew louder, with trolls attacking the BCCI. Two years later, when the Women’s team lifted the prized Cup, it was their response to all the critics. They repaid the BCCI’s faith in them.
Also Read: Harmanpreet Kaur Is Now On The List Of India’s World-Cup-Winning Captains. We’re Proud!
First Published: November 03, 2025 3:09 PM
