In a landmark decision on Thursday, BCCI's Secretary Jay Shah announced that the Indian men and women players will get equal match fees. The announcement has come as a big move in women's cricket and many cricket stars are reacting to the historic decision. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was among the ones to share their thoughts on this decision.
In a video shared by BCCI, Harmanpreet Kaur stated "First of all, I welcome this decision. We always talk about equality and I really am happy that for the first time in India we will get equal pay as men are getting. I am happy this is happening now. I am sure now a lot of girls will now take up cricket as a professional career." Notably, Kaur also took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the same. "Truly a red letter day for Women’s Cricket in India with pay parity announced for women and men. Thank you BCCI and Jay Shah," Kaur wrote.
Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman also reacts
After Jay Shah's announcement, former Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman have also reacted. Sachin Tendulkar stated that this is a welcome step towards gender equality, while Laxman also hailed the decision.
Indian batters Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues also shared their thoughts on the decision. "What amazing news for Women's cricket in India", Mandhana wrote on Twitter. Rodrigues posted on Twitter, "How good is this for Women's Cricket in India"
The decision of equal pay comes in the second week of the second tenure of Jay Shah as the secretary of the Board. The decision should be welcomed with open hearts as the BCCI also launched another big initiative last week when they announced the first-ever Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) in 2023 season.
The WIPL will feature 20 league games with teams playing each other twice. The table toppers will get a direct entry into the final, while the second and third-place teams will battle out in the Eliminator. Each team can have no more than five overseas cricketers in the playing eleven.
