The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced that domestic cricketers affected by the COVID-curtailed 2020-21 season will be paid 50 per cent additional match fee as compensation for the disruption and also hiked their remuneration for the upcoming season. 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. “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,” BCCI general secretary Jay Shah said in a tweet.
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
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly also said in a tweet: “Very happy to have the raise in match fees of domestic players, men and women, passed by the apex council today. They are always the key to India’s success in cricket at the international level.”
Very happy to have the raise in match fees of domestic players ,men and women ,passed by the apex council today ..They are always the key to indias success in cricket at the international level @bcci @JayShah @ThakurArunS @ShuklaRajiv
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) September 20, 2021
This effectively means that all players who participated in the last season and played Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare Trophy will get a compensation of Rs 70,000 per Ranji Trophy match (half of match fees of Rs 1.40 lakh).
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. On an average, a senior level domestic cricketer if he plays a full season of first-class, One Day and T20 matches can now earn up to Rs 20 lakh even if he doesn’t have an IPL contract.
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.
The U-16s will now get Rs 7,000 per day instead of Rs 3,500 during earlier seasons.
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.
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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 from previous seasons. The U-23 and U-19 girls will receive an increased match fee of Rs 10,000.
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.
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