A couple of days back, a report had surfaced which spoke about how the BCCI was considering an increase in pay for red-ball matches, so that the players don’t opt out of the premier tournament. Now, as per a fresh report by the Times of India, the BCCI is all set to take a step in that direction.
While announcing the central contracts, the BCCI didn’t disclose the value of various grades, the report suggests, and the board is in discussion for the same with Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Sources revealed TOI, that the BCCI has gotten proposals to increase the match fees/remuneration of players, for both Tests and domestic cricket, that match the salaries of lower mid-level IPL contracts.
Boost to Ranji Trophy
Over the last few years, the importance of the tournament has diminished, with IPL taking precedence, and players overlooking participation in it. The interest to play, goes down even further, once the IPL Auctions are done.
“The board has asked for recommendations from the Indian team management. They are taking a very aggressive approach towards maintaining the sanctity of the longest format of the game. It is imperative that players, who are committed to first-class cricket, are rewarded at a similar level as IPL cricket. That would mean that existing remuneration has to be multiplied,” a BCCI source told TOI.
“The recommendations are on the lines of increasing the Test match and first-class fees by three times. The idea is that if a player plays the entire Ranji Trophy, he should be able to make around Rs 75 lakhs which matches an average IPL contract. It has also been suggested that if a player plays all Test matches in a year, he should be able to make Rs 15 crores which is at par for any marquee IPL contract,” the source added.
What Could be the Exact Raise
It is believed that, a three-times raise might not happen in one go, but still a substantial one is around the corner. “The board may not agree to increasing the remuneration by three times at one go but they are considering meeting the players at mid-point.
“Even that should be a hefty raise. This is why the board has not announced the value of contracts. The board will have to decide if it wants to raise the match fees or make specified contracts accordingly,” the source said.
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