In June of this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided to form a committee that would look into the compensation package for domestic cricketers. In 2020, for the first time in a long history, BCCI cancelled the Ranji Trophy. A decision that affected nearly 700 cricketers financially, making the Board decide during its AGM to compensate the domestic cricketers.
On Monday, the BCCI, after its Apex Council meeting, announced that it will pay 50 percent additional match fee to the domestic cricketers affected by curtailed 20-21 season due to Covid-19. The decision has been long-awaited by domestic cricketers. The Board also hiked the remuneration for the upcoming season.
The logistics of remuneration
Before the hike, an active domestic cricketer on average would earn around Rs 20 lakh per annum. Now, per day remuneration for top Ranji cricketers, who have played more than 40 matches, has been almost doubled to Rs 60,000. A decision that will ensure that the players now earn Rs 2.40 lakh for the first-class matches. Before this, a player in a Ranji Trophy game under a similar category was given Rs 35,000 per day.
Moving on, the players who have played 21 to 40 matches will get paid Rs 50,000, while players who have played less than 21 matches will be entitled to a remuneration of Rs 40,000 per day. Collectively, the decision will financially impact more than 2000 male cricketers from the under-16 category to the senior level.
For the women cricketers
The BCCI, alongside, also announced a remuneration hike for women cricketers and senior women players. They will now be paid Rs 20,000 per match instead of the earlier Rs 12,500. The decision to increase the compensation was taken by a working committee comprising former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, Yudhvir Singh, Jaydev Shah, Santosh Menon, Avishek Dalmiya, Rohan Jaitley and Devajit Saikia.
Indian players, among the highest paid in the world
With the BCCI among the wealthiest cricketing board, the salary of Indian cricketers playing internationally has always been subject to a great deal of spotlight.
Financial contract for the period of 2020-2021
The contract for the current period covers a hefty price paid to cricketers. There are four grades into which the players are divided. The first being Grade A+ contract, wherein a player earns Rs 7 crore per year, while the players falling into the Grade A category earn Rs 5 crore per year.
Those in Grade B withdraw Rs 3 crore annually and while the players in Grade C draw Rs 1 crore. It must be noted that this is the fixed amount that a player gets as per the contract and it is delinked to the number of matches a player plays.
Indian players get a fixed match fee of Rs 15 lakh for Test Match, while this amount is Rs 6 lakh for One Day International matches and Rs 3 lakh for T20 matches. Out of this money, those who do not play in the XI, draw 50 percent of the match fee.
Hit a century? There's a reward
The highs of the sixers or four runs don't stay restricted to the pitch or fans but financially get passed onto the performing players. As former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has revealed in his Youtube Vlog, about the bonus money. Chopra revealed to cricket fans and his subscribers that a player gets an extra Rs 7 lakh on scoring a double century. If the batsman scores a century, he takes back home an extra Rs 5 lakh. The bowler who picks a five four earns Rs 5 lakh extra. All of the bonus money is above and beyond their contractual remuneration.
