A new pay deal will see a considerable rise for the Australian women’s cricket team. 

Cricket Australia (CA) has announced its new pay deal with the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), which includes a $53 million investment in the women's game and a 50 per cent increase in the BBL salary cap. 

The five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) is worth $634 million and has been signed off by both parties after successful negotiations.

The new deal will see female cricketers receive a 66 per cent pay rise across the board, with a combined pay of $133 million over the course of the agreement. 

Domestic players will receive an average pay packet of $151,000, with most earning over $100,000. 

To achieve this, players will need to hold a state and WBBL contract, with around 75 per cent of the cohort meeting this requirement.

To remain competitive with other global franchise leagues, the WBBL salary cap will increase to $732,000 per year. The women's national contract list will also expand from 15 to 18, with a 25 per cent pay increase for those players. The highest earner is expected to receive around $800,000 across all contracts. 

“Cricket now clearly offers the best earning opportunities of any team sport for elite female sportspeople,” says CA's CEO Nick Hockley. 

The deal also includes a 7.5 per cent pay rise for centrally-contracted male players, with an average salary of $951,000 before match payments. The squad will also expand to 24 players. 

The men's BBL salary cap will increase from $2 million to $3 million, allowing top earners to receive up to $420,000. This change comes after CA reduced the number of matches from 14 to 10 for each team in 2024/25.

Overall, the changes represent a 26 per cent pay rise for players across the sport. 

According to the ACA’s Todd Greenberg; “There is enormous capacity for growth right across the women's game, as well as the BBL, both of which we believe have enormous untapped potential. Our men and women will benefit from significant investment into the BBL and WBBL, which will help ensure we have the best players playing”.