Ajit Agarkar

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering doubling the remuneration for domestic players. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the national selection committee, led by chairman Ajit Agarkar, has been tasked by the BCCI to help them implement this idea. The sole aim of the idea is to make sure that the non-IPL players do not feel deprived. Currently, the BCCI pays Rs 60,000 per day to a player who has played more than 40 Ranji games. Similarly, players get Rs 50,000 and Rs 40,000 a day respectively for playing 21-40 matches and 20 matches, respectively. Meanwhile, the reserve players earn Rs 30,000 and 20,000 a day in the respective categories. In total, a senior player can earn upto Rs 25 lakh if his side reaches the final with others in the side making between Rs 17 lakh and Rs 22 lakh. “It is understood that different plans are under consideration but there is unanimity among all concerned in the BCCI that the fees for the domestic cricketers has to be doubled at least,” the report claimed. The report also adds that BCCI is considering increasing the scale of payment between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 1 crore if a player features in 10 Ranji Trophy matches. The players will also earn more for playing in domestic white-ball tournaments such as Vijay Hazare and Mushtaq Ali. While there is no confirmation regarding this development, the report also reveals that the changes could be made as early as next season. The move will be aimed at encouraging the domestic players to take part in the Ranji Trophy, and also maximise the earning of the domestic stars who are not featuring in the IPL. Earlier this year, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced higher match fees for those playing Test matches. Praising the announcement, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had suggested that fees for domestic cricketers be doubled or tripled. “If the Ranji Trophy fees can be doubled or tripled, certainly there’ll be a lot more people playing the Ranji Trophy, and a lot less pullouts from the Ranji Trophy, because if the fees of playing a Ranji Trophy match are a good fee, there will be fewer people pulling out for various reasons,” the cricket legend had stated last month. Topics mentioned in this article