The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced a hike in match fee for domestic cricketers on Monday. The BCCI also stated that those who played domestic cricket two years ago will be compensated for the 2020-’21 season lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am pleased to announce the hike in match fee for domestic cricketers,” tweeted BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Match fee hike announced by BCCI:
Seniors – INR 60,000 (above 40 matches)
Under 23- INR 25,000
Under 19 – INR 20,000
“Cricketers who participated in the 2019-’20 domestic season will get 50% additional match fee as compensation for the 2020-’21 season lose due to the Covid-19 situation,” added Shah.
Cricketers who participated in 2019-20 Domestic Season will get 50 per cent additional match fee as compensation for season 2020-21 lost due to COVID-19 situation #BCCIApexCouncil
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 20, 2021
Women’s Domestic (Fee per day, in Rs)
| Existing | Existing | Revised | Revised | Revised | Revised | Revised | Revised | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Playing XI | Reserves | Playing X1 - Upto 20 matches | Reserves - 20 Matches | Playing X1- From 21 to 40 matches | Reserves - to 40 matches | Playing- XI above 40 Matches | Reserve above 40 matches |
| Senior | 35000 | 17500 | 40000 | 20000 | 50000 | 25000 | 60000 | 30000 |
| U23 (Under 25 for Season 2021-22) | 17500 | 8750 | 25000 | 12500 | 25000 | 12500 | 25000 | 12500 |
| U19 | 10500 | 5250 | 20000 | 10000 | 20000 | 10000 | 20000 | 10000 |
| U16 | 3500 | 1750 | 7000 | 3500 | 7000 | 3500 | 7000 | 3500 |
Women’s Domestic (Fee per day, in Rs)
| Existing | Existing | Revised | Revised | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Playing XI | Reserves | Playing XI | Reserves |
| Senior | 12500 | 6250 | 20000 | 10000 |
| U23 (Under 25 for Season 2021-22) | 5500 | 2750 | 10000 | 5000 |
| U19 / U16 | 5500 | 2750 | 10000 | 5000 |
BCCI also stated: The decision to organize the Under-16 tournaments will be taken post the Under-19 tournaments and taking into account the Covid-19 situation.
Many Indian cricketers struggled financially after the Ranji Trophy was not held last year for the first time in its history due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The BCCI compensation package for these players was awaited for a long time.
The decision to give compensation and increase the match fee was taken during the BCCI’s Apex Council meeting on Monday.
The per day fee for the top Ranji cricketers, who have played more than 40 matches, was also almost doubled to Rs 60,000, which will ensure that such players earn Rs 2.40 lakh per first-class match.
Those who have played 21 to 40 matches will be paid Rs 50,000, while players with experience less than that will be entitled to a remuneration of Rs 40,000 per day.
The move will likely benefit more than 2,000 male cricketers from the under-16 to the senior level.
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Shah also said that domestic players will be paid an increased match fee. According to the announcement, the cricketers in under-23 and under-19 category will get Rs 25,000 and 20,000 per day respectively.
Before Monday’s decision, a first XI player in a Ranji Trophy game was entitled to Rs 35,000 per day. For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the BCCI pays Rs. 17,500 per game.
The BCCI also announced remuneration for women cricketers and the senior players will now be paid Rs 20,000 per match instead of Rs 12,500.
The recommendations to increase the payout were made by a working committee comprising former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, Yudhvir Singh, Santosh Menon, Jaydev Shah, Avishek Dalmiya, Rohan Jaitley and Devajit Saikia.
Inputs from PTI