Nearly two decades after leading India to their first Women’s World Cup final, former captain Mithali Raj has opened up about the struggles that once defined women’s cricket in India — a time when dedication mattered more than money.
A clip of Mithali ’s old interview with The Lallantop has gone viral on social media following India’s historic 2025 World Cup triumph . In the conversation, recorded in July this year, the legendary batter recalled how players barely earned enough to cover their travel costs during the early 2000s.
“When we became runners-up in the 2005 World Cup, each of us received just ₹1,000 per match,” Mithali said, looking back on India’s first appearance in a World Cup final. “We played eight matches in that tournament, so we got ₹8,000 in total. Back then, we didn’t even have annual contracts or match fees in a proper structure.”
Click here to watch: Mithali Raj’s emotional words resurface after India’s World Cup glory
At the time, women’s cricket in India was managed by the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), which functioned independently without major sponsors or solid financial support. Players often travelled by train in general compartments, stayed in modest hotels, and played purely out of passion for the game.
“There was no money because the association itself didn’t have funds,” Mithali said. “We didn’t get paid much, but the love for cricket kept us going.”
Things began to change in 2006 when the BCCI took women’s cricket under its wing. With stronger financial backing and better infrastructure, players started receiving per-series and later per-match payments. Over time, the structure evolved to include central contracts and higher pay scales.
The biggest breakthrough came in 2022, when the BCCI announced equal match fees for men and women — a historic move that put India among the global leaders in promoting gender equality in sport. Today, women cricketers earn ₹15 lakh for a Test, ₹6 lakh for an ODI, and ₹3 lakh for a T20I, the same as their male counterparts.
For Mithali, who also led India to the 2017 World Cup final, the journey has come full circle — from earning ₹1,000 per game to watching India’s women lift the World Cup as full-time professionals with world-class facilities and equal pay.
A clip of Mithali ’s old interview with The Lallantop has gone viral on social media following India’s historic 2025 World Cup triumph . In the conversation, recorded in July this year, the legendary batter recalled how players barely earned enough to cover their travel costs during the early 2000s.
“When we became runners-up in the 2005 World Cup, each of us received just ₹1,000 per match,” Mithali said, looking back on India’s first appearance in a World Cup final. “We played eight matches in that tournament, so we got ₹8,000 in total. Back then, we didn’t even have annual contracts or match fees in a proper structure.”
Click here to watch: Mithali Raj’s emotional words resurface after India’s World Cup glory
At the time, women’s cricket in India was managed by the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), which functioned independently without major sponsors or solid financial support. Players often travelled by train in general compartments, stayed in modest hotels, and played purely out of passion for the game.
“There was no money because the association itself didn’t have funds,” Mithali said. “We didn’t get paid much, but the love for cricket kept us going.”
Things began to change in 2006 when the BCCI took women’s cricket under its wing. With stronger financial backing and better infrastructure, players started receiving per-series and later per-match payments. Over time, the structure evolved to include central contracts and higher pay scales.
The biggest breakthrough came in 2022, when the BCCI announced equal match fees for men and women — a historic move that put India among the global leaders in promoting gender equality in sport. Today, women cricketers earn ₹15 lakh for a Test, ₹6 lakh for an ODI, and ₹3 lakh for a T20I, the same as their male counterparts.
For Mithali, who also led India to the 2017 World Cup final, the journey has come full circle — from earning ₹1,000 per game to watching India’s women lift the World Cup as full-time professionals with world-class facilities and equal pay.
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