WPL vs IPL: Smriti Mandhana’s ‘top’ bid for RCB not even close to how heavily male cricketers get paid

The biggest bid during the first Women's Premier League (WPL) auctions was made for Indian opener Smriti Mandhana, coming in at ₹3.4 crore. Mandhana, who had a base fee of 50 lakh rupees, was eventually purchased by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). In the bidding battle, RCB and Delhi Capitals (DC) were the top competitors.

UP Warriorz brought in ₹2.6 crore for Deepti Sharma. For ₹2.2 crore, Delhi Capitals acquired Jemimah Rodrigues. For ₹2 crore, the team also acquired under-19 captain Shafali Verma. RCB paid ₹1.9 crore to purchase Richa Ghosh.

There have been celebrations all around as women cricketers crack multi-crore deals, especially because of their history of financial struggle. One example is Ashwani Kumar. There was a time when the Jharkhand cricket did not have money to buy kits for her cricket practice. On February 13, Gujarat Giants welcomed Ashwani for ₹35 Lakh, and she had enough reasons to celebrate.

Also Read: Once had no money to buy kits, Ashwani Kumari cracks dream-deal with Gujarat Giants

However, when compared to male cricketers, women cricketers are no way close to cracking massive deals. While Mandhana tops the list for women at ₹3.4 crore, the highest-paid male Indian player at the Indian Premier League (IPL) is KL Rahul, who was sold to Lucknow Super Giants at ₹17 crore. English cricketer Sam Curran was signed by Punjab Kings for a whopping ₹18.5 crore.

In fact, Mandhana is no way close to the top 50 highest-paid male cricketers at IPL. Prithvi Shaw stands at number 50 among male players. He was retained by Delhi Capitals for ₹7.5 crore. Last IPL auction involved a spend of ₹500 crore by 10 IPL teams.

Joshua Little, 23, got ₹4.4 crore from Gujarat Titans, which also bought Shivam Mavi for ₹6 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought Harry Brook for ₹13.25 crore, Mayank Agarwal for ₹8.25 crore and Heinrich Klaasen for ₹5.25 crore.

Also Read: Smriti Mandhana hits it out of the park with ₹3.4 crore bid

Chennai Super Kings bought Ben Stokes for ₹16.25 crore, Rajasthan Royals bought Jason for Holder ₹5.75 crore and Mumbai Indians bought Cameron Green for ₹17.5 crore.

RCB, which bought Mandhana, also got Will Jacks for ₹3.2 crore. Jacks is a half-known cricketer from Surrey while Smriti Mandhana is the number 3 female batsman in the world, as per ICC rankings.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) approved equal match fees for both its male and female international cricketers in October 2022, setting a historic precedent.