Key facts
- ICC rules maternity leave will not count against women's central contracts
- Policy protects female cricketers from financial/contractual penalty for having children
- Move sets precedent for national boards including BCCI
The International Cricket Council has made a landmark move for women's cricket, ruling that maternity leave will not be counted against central contracts held by female players. The policy change, described by India Today as a watershed moment for the sport, means women cricketers will no longer face the prospect of losing their contracted status or income as a consequence of having children.
The announcement addresses one of the most persistent structural inequalities in professional women's sport. Previously, time away from the game due to maternity leave could eat into a player's contracted period, creating a chilling effect that effectively penalised players for choosing to start a family. The ICC's move explicitly rejects that framework.
The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging implications for boards affiliated to the ICC, including the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which administers central contracts for women cricketers. It sets a clear standard that national governing bodies will be expected to reflect in their own contractual arrangements.
For the growing community of professional women cricketers in India and around the world, the change offers both practical protection and a powerful symbolic statement: that elite sport and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. Advocates for gender equity in cricket have welcomed the move as long overdue.