India’s cricket board announces equal pay for men and women players

India's all-powerful cricket control board has announced equal pay for men and women players, a historic move aimed at luring young girls to the game.

Till now, top category male cricket players earned much more match fee than their female counterparts in India.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted the decision on Thursday.

"I'm pleased to announce @BCCI's first step towards tackling discrimination. We are implementing pay equity policy for our contracted @BCCIWomen cricketers," BCCI secretary Jay Shah tweeted.

"The match fee for both Men and Women Cricketers will be same as we move into a new era of gender equality in Indian Cricket," he wrote.

"The @BCCIWomen cricketers will be paid the same match fee as their male counterparts. Test (INR 15 lakhs), ODI (INR 6 lakhs), T20I (INR 3 lakhs). Pay equity was my commitment to our women cricketers and I thank the Apex Council for their support," Shah added.

The move comes barely 10 days after former Indian all-rounder Roger Binny replaced Sourav Ganguly as the head of the cricket control board.

With a net worth of USD 2 billion, the BCCI is the world's richest cricketing body that wields significant influence in the global cricket arena.

Binny, who was the highest wicket taker in the historic 1983 World Cup that India won, played a total of 27 Tests and 72 one-day internationals in his cricketing career. He was regarded as an astute all-rounder.