Ranji players unpaid over last two seasons by BCCI authorities

03/06/2018

Domestic Indian cricketers from at least 25 State teams have not received their respective BCCI-disbursed match fees for the last two seasons as the 2017-18 Ranji season draws to an end. Parvez Rasool of Jammu and Kashmir has said that his team has not received their fees for almost three years.

The Ranji Trophy has always been a stage for budding Indian cricketers to showcase their talents in a bid to make it into the senior team. Apart from that, domestic players depend on tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and other such tournaments in order to sustain their livelihoods.

But in a startling turn of events, reports have emerged that the cash-rich BCCI has failed to provide over 500 domestic cricketers with a previously agreed upon match fee for the past two years. While most players have received part of their payment from the state authorities, none have been reimbursed by the BCCI, who are supposed to pay the players from 10.6 percent of the BCCI’s total gross revenue.

Apparently, the delay is due to the differences between the Vinod Rai led committee of Administrators (CoA) and the state authorities over the implementation of the Lodha reforms in the functioning of the BCCI. Another reason could be that the CoA has a new payment plan that they are working on in order to compensate the players more efficiently.

“There has been no general body meeting since the time CoA took charge. So the accounts have not been cleared and thus there is no clarity about what the players should be getting,” said a CoA official as per Indian Express reports.

The BCCI’s income distribution formula ensures that 26 percent of the revenue goes to players across levels. This is further broken into 13 percent for international stars, 10.6 percent for domestic players and the rest is allocated to women and junior cricketers. The Indian Express spoke to 25 teams across India and none of them had received the BCCI payment.

“The players have not received money from the Board. I have been told players will receive their full payment once the AGM (annual general meeting) takes place. But we don’t know when the AGM will happen. As far as MCA is concerned we have paid our players what we owe them but we are yet to receive the Board’s money,” MCA joint secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar said.

In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the conditions are worse for cricketers, who according to former India player, Parvez Rasool, haven’t been paid for over three years.

“We stay in five-star hotels across India for our domestic games. But the players have to spend their own money for food. We haven’t even got daily allowance over the last three years. Forget the BCCI revenue money,” Rasool said.

Ranji players unpaid over last two seasons by BCCI authorities

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