Virat Kohli and the team management, even when Anil Kumble was the coach, pushed the Board of Control for Cricket in India for an increment in salaries. The idea, as of now, seems to have been approved after Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri met with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.
Former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly also bats for a pay hike, as he feels when the board is making so much money from the game, the players too deserve their share. The board makes amazing revenue from international cricket matches and the new IPL broadcast deal, bagged by Star India, has made the board even richer.
The Prince of Kolkata also spoke about the need to look after cricketers as they play the sport for a period of around 15-20 years only.
"Absolutely, players should get money, why not? The Board makes so much money, the players should also get it. When Virat Kohli plays, the entire country watches him. Players should be very well looked after because the (career) span is only 15 years. Not many (players) play for 15 (years), very few play for 20 (years). So, I am a big supporter of that (pay hike)," Ganguly said.
The new structure, which had been introduced in March 2017, allowed Grade A players earn Rs 2 crore per year, Grade B (Rs 1 crore) and Grade C (Rs 50 lakh), which is soon going to change.
Things have come a long way if one looks at the days when the likes of Ganguly made their debut in the early 90s. The BCCI has become a money churner and one of the most powerful cricket bodies in the world. However, Ganguly feels all professions are undergoing such changes.
"The BCCI does that. If you look at the way the players are looked after these days, it's phenomenal. I have actually seen the entire circle. When I played in 1991, for the entire trip in Australia, I got paid Rs 30,000, and when I finished in 2013, I could see the drastic change. It's in every profession," he added.
