Members of Neetu David selection panel to receive share of BCCI's reward

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced INR 51 crore reward for the victorious Indian women's team, its support staff, and the selectors, it has now been confirmed that members of the previous selection committee, not the new panel, will be the ones to receive the bonuses.

Although none of the members of the Neetu David selection panel were seen during the World Cup matches, a senior BCCI official confirmed to Cricbuzz on Monday (November 3) that the panel will receive a share of the INR 51 crore reward. The exact breakdown of the prize money distribution, however, has not been disclosed.

Apart from David, the other members of the committee that picked the World Cup squad were Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya, Kalpana Venkatachar and Shyama Dey Shaw. The selectors had announced the squad on September 4.

The committee has since been changed and the new committee under Amita Sharma, appointed at the AGM on September 28, has assumed charge. Other new selectors are, Sulakshana Naik, Jaya Sharma and Sravanthi Naidu. Shyama Dey Shaw, part of the old committee, continues in the present panel too.

The new selection committee has largely stayed away from the World Cup, having been instructed to focus on domestic cricket. With both the Under-19 and senior women's matches underway across various centres, the selectors were deputed to those places. However, some of them did attend the World Cup semifinal and final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The members of the previous committee were not invited for the final.

When there was a situation to pick a replacement for injured Pratika Rawal ahead of the semifinal, neither committee was actually involved. The team management decided to co-opt Shafali Verma into the squad as she was the only other opener of international experience available.

Meanwhile the BCCI said in a statement, "To honour this unprecedented success, the BCCI has announced a cash reward of INR 51 crore for the players, support staff and selection committee, in recognition of their remarkable performance, dedication and contribution to the nation's sporting glory."

The BCCI also extended its thanks to Jay Shah, the former secretary under whose tenure the board introduced several initiatives for women's cricket, including pay parity and the launch of the WPL. "The BCCI also takes this opportunity to highlight the pivotal role of Mr. Jay Shah, who served with distinction as Honorary Secretary of the BCCI and now holds the position of Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"During his tenure at the BCCI, Mr Shah championed significant initiatives for women's cricket accelerating the expansion of domestic structures, launching elite-level competitions and ensuring improved infrastructure."

World Cup squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Sneh Rana, Uma Chetry (WK) and Shafali Verma (came in for injured Rawal for the semifinal and the final).