BCCI SGM to take up the issue of CoA approved players’ pay hike

Appointment of new ACU head and General Manager (Marketing) will also be likely to be disapproved.

Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Special General Meeting is scheduled on June 22 | AFP

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Special General Meeting is scheduled for June 22. One of the biggest issues that will be discussed in the SGM will be the CoA approved pay hikes to the players, which saw the introduction of a new category of A+.

Under the new compensation structure, five ‘A+’ category players get Rs 7 crore each per annum, while seven Grade A, seven Grade B, and as many Grade C cricketers are on annual retainer fee of Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore each respectively.

Why did they (COA) bring in a new category? The idea was to compensate the Test specialists, who don’t have the IPL contracts, adequately. And if the top bracket is exclusively for those who are regulars in all three formats, then what would be the adjustments like, if someone is dropped from a particular form of the game?” asked a BCCI official.

“Also, the BCCI office-bearers had been kept in the dark in the whole process,” he complained. According to the official, the pay hike process bypassed the general body and such an exponential rise in pay was not according to India’s socio-economic structure.

The BCCI SGM may also disapprove the appointment of the new anti-corruption (ACU) head, Ajit Singh; who was appointed by CoA in March, in place of retiring Neeraj Kumar. The official said, “There’s every chance that the members might not agree to the appointment of the new ACU head. The COA can’t take such a decision without calling an SGM.

BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary had written a letter to COA, opposing the appointment of new ACU head, “I am afraid this appointment will not be considered valid until approved by the General Body.

The acting secretary also refused to sign the annual contracts, saying the office-bearers weren’t kept in the loop.

Many other issues like appointment of Board’s new General Manager (Marketing), Priya Gupta and raise in the salaries of umpires in domestic cricket- Rs 40,000 per day compared to Rs 35,000- which domestic cricketers earn, might also be under consideration.

(with inputs from IndianExpress.com)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 16 Jun, 2018

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