The Hindu : Seniors come out in support of Ranji players

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 15, 2003

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Sport - Cricket

Seniors come out in support of Ranji players

By Our Special Correspondent

Mumbai Sept. 14. India's senior cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble have conveyed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) representatives that the Ranji Trophy players would be happier should they receive a substantial part of the match fee that has been raised to Rs. 35,000 per match from the 2003-04 season.

In the course of the interaction they had with the BCCI representatives in Bangalore in early September, the latter were told that it would make much `sense' to disburse a bigger percentage of the match fee at the end of each match and that the players would find a `substantial sum' more useful to manage now than wait for a lump sum amount when they retire.

They have also pointed out that interest rates are falling and that a player in the Elite Group playing seven matches would be pleased to receive two thirds of Rs. 35,000 (approximately Rs. 1,64,000 for seven matches), than an one-third which works out to Rs. 84,000.

The board has decided to pay Rs. 12,000 per match straightaway to the players taking part in the Ranji Trophy tournament and deposit the balance amount of Rs. 23,000 in the Benevolent Fund. The board feels that such a methodology would help the player lead a comfortable life once he retires and receives his share from the Benevolent Fund. But the senior players believe to the contrary and feel that two-thirds of the match fee would look after the welfare of the players in the present time, especially those not employed and those employed part-time to play cricket.

There was a necessity and pressure to make the board-run tournaments more incentive-driven and for the large number of cricketers to look at the game as a career option. Returns in terms of money by playing for their respective teams in the national championship was too little until the last season.

But the 400 odd cricketers who will play from the forthcoming season would receive bigger pay packets, but not as fat as they had anticipated because two-thirds of the match fee will be deposited in the Benevolent Fund. The juniors will receive money only after they turn 21.

The board's working committee has already accepted a revised pay structure recommended by a special committee based on its annual gross earnings. Twenty-six per cent of the revenue will go to the players at junior and senior level, 13 per cent of it to the national team. The Board will soon finalise the contract system incorporated in the three-tier gradation of players.

The seniors have told the special committee that their present earnings (match fee and logo money) for a Test and one-day international should be protected while computing the revised fee structure.

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