Mithali Raj Shares How Little Players Were Paid in the 2005 World Cup

Women's Cricket has been uplifted in India to a great extent. With the team winning the Women's World Cup 2025, they have been able to create history. But at the same time, an old interview of Mithali Raj revealing the low salaries of players has gone viral, indicating the early challenges.

Ever since the Women's World Cup win, the India Women's team has been in the headlines. Among all the players who were a part of the Indian team, some former players also stood there. Mithali Raj, who has been a prominent name in the India Women's team, was the h

She was also seen holding the trophy with the Indian captain, Harmanpreet Kaur. The emotions have taken over every player after the final win, looking at the struggles that the team had faced earlier. At the same time, an interview with Mithali Raj is going viral all over the internet, where she talked about the low salaries the players received earlier.

1. Mithali Raj Reveals 2005 World Cup Payouts

The time when the India Women's team was about to create history in the 2005 Women's World Cup, Mithali Raj was the captain of the side. India had played the final clash against Australia, but they were not able to perform at their best. In the end, the team lost the final match by 98 runs, losing in their first-ever final they had played.

It surely was a heartbreak for the India Women's team. But it also became the time when the team got some upliftment and support from the higher authorities. After taking a look at the performances of the team, the BCCI decided to promote Women's cricket to a great extent in India.

The Indian team was under the WCAI till November 2006, and there was no specified annual contract or match fees for the same. But in November 2006, the WCAI got merged with the BCCI, and this further led to the improvement of

Mithali Raj also revealed the lower earnings players used to make at the time when the BCCI didn't intervene. In an interview, she was asked how much the players got paid during the 2005 Women's World Cup. It was a great performance laid down by the team, but the earnings they

Revealing the same, Mithali Raj said that each player received 1000 rupees per match. And in the Women's World Cup 2005, the team had played 8 games, which means they received 8000 rupees only for playing the entire tournament. This is much less as compared to the earnings players make in modern-day cricket.

2. How Jay Shah Uplifted Women's Cricket?

Jay Shah, the ICC Chairman, played a vital role in uplifting Women's cricket in the country. Jay Shah was earlier the Chairman of the BCCI, and it can be said that he is the major reason why fans have shown interest in Women's cricket. Also, he was present when India won the Women's World Cup final match

It all started in 2022, 16 years after the BCCI had acquired the WCAI. At that time, it was revealed that the Women's team would be paid an equal amount as that of the Men's team. This was a great move by the BCCI, and it allowed more and more players to focus on the game and represent the nation across the globe.

Along with that, the focus on domestic tournaments for Women's was enhanced, allowing more young talent to show their worth to the team. This was also made possible with the introduction of the Women's Premier League in 2023. Ever since the launch of the tournament, it has been a huge success, being one of the biggest T20 leagues for Women's cricket

This success also played a vital role for India in the Women's World Cup 2025. After India had won the tournament, the BCCI announced a prize of 51 crore rupees for the Indian team. This is such a great initiative by the BCCI, and despite not having Jay Shah on the board, the committee is following his steps to improve women's cricket.