BCCI yet to pay Ranji players for last two seasons

Aditya Tare did not received domestic match fees for two years.

Aditya Tare | PTI

Indian domestic cricketers are yet to receive their match fees from Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) despite the second successive season 2017-18  has come to an end. Although, most of the domestic players received part of their payment from their respective state units, they are yet to receive the share of their annual earning drawn from 10.6 percent of the BCCI’s total gross revenue.

While players’ pro-rata fee depends on BCCI’s annual income but a Ranji Trophy regular player, who also plays shorter-version domestic competitions, earns Rs 12-15 lakh a year as match fees.

As per BCCI’s income distribution formula -26 percent of the revenue goes to players and it distributes into 13 percent for international stars, 10.6 percent for domestic players and the rest is allocated to women and junior cricketers.

The reason for delaying the payment might have the standoff between the Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators (CoA) and state units over implementing the Supreme Court-ordered Justice RM Lodha reforms, as well as, the new payment plan on which the CoA is currently working on.

According to a report in The Indian Express, an official said, “There has been no general body meeting since the time CoA took charge. So the accounts have not been cleared and thus there is no clarity about what the players should be getting.”

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) joint secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar said, “The players have not received money from the Board. I have been told players will receive their full payment once the AGM (annual general meeting) takes place. But we don’t know when the AGM will happen. As far as MCA is concerned we have paid our players what we owe them but we are yet to receive the Board’s money.”

Meanwhile, Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare revealed that he did not receive domestic match fees for two years now, saying, “As professional cricketers, we should get what we deserve at the right time. Domestic cricketers are often forgotten when it comes to payments. Very few players bag IPL contracts, which is normally sufficient for that particular season. But many who work equally hard are just playing in the domestic circuit without knowing when and what amount they will make that year.”

While things are worse in some state body likes of Jammu and Kashmir, where players have not received fees for three years. Parvez Rasool said, “We stay in five-star hotels across India for our domestic games. But the players have to spend their own money for food. We haven’t even got daily allowance over the last three years. Forget the BCCI revenue money.”

Niranjan Shah, chairman of the National Cricket Academy feels that the COA must use their powers and pay domestic cricketers to make things easy for the players.

 

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 06 Mar, 2018

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