Players in the highest experience bracket (40+ first-class caps) might make INR 120,000 a day after this increase.
A 100% salary increase for the senior men’s squad starting in the 2024–25 season has been agreed to by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), a move that may encourage other organizations to follow suit.
At the MCA’s apex council meeting, a recommendation was passed for the state organization to match players’ BCCI earnings from the domestic circuit. As a result, a player’s season-long earnings are practically doubled.
Players at the senior men’s level are currently paid by the BCCI in three slabs. Players who have played in 21–40 games receive INR 50,000 per day, those who have played in fewer than 20 games receive INR 40,000 per day, and those who have over 40 first-class caps receive INR 60,000 per day.
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‘Double or quadruple’ Ranji fees to ‘look after the feeder system,’ Gavaskar told the BCCI.
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Indian athletes might make between INR 45 and 60 lakhs every test.
For instance, Mumbai’s opening batter Bhupen Lalwani, who started in all ten of the team’s Ranji Trophy 2023–24 games, would have received INR 17.2 lakhs in match fees. He could have made INR 34.4 lakh if this rule had gone into effect this season.
Lalwani has only participated in 14 first-class games, therefore his current daily salary from the Ranji Trophy is INR 40,000. Someone who has appeared in more than 40 elite games could make a lot more money overall.
The MCA gave its players INR 5 crores in prize money earlier in the month. This was in addition to the cash Mumbai received as a prize from the BCCI for winning the Ranji Trophy. The decision to match earnings is certain to help people without IPL contracts in particular.
MCA President Amol Kale stated, “We felt that the player should earn more, especially those who play Ranji Trophy cricket.” “For us red-ball cricket matters the most as the Ranji Trophy holds a special place for everyone in Mumbai.”
A growing number of former players have voiced their support for domestic cricket over international cricket, especially after the BCCI decided to offer its centrally contracted men’s players a Test Incentive Plan if they choose to focus on red-ball cricket. A player’s match fees will increase by 300% under this arrangement if he participates in more than 75% of Test matches during a given season.
The former captain of India, Sunil Gavaskar, expressed support for first-class cricket players to be included in a similar plan. He had proposed to the board that the current match payments be doubled or tripled in order to “encourage players and look after the feeder system.”
“If the Ranji Trophy fee can be doubled or tripled, certainly there will be a lot more people playing the Ranji Trophy, [and a] lot less pullouts,” Gavaskar had stated. “They will all be wanting to play with the slab system – [if] every ten first-class matches you get that much more – so I would request the BCCI to look at that aspect as well.”
The MCA has thought about taking this action before. The MCA recommended annual contracts in 2022–2023 and even established a three-person group to suggest a framework. The Apex Council failed to approve the former president Vijay Patil’s proposal. The current president, Kale, succeeded Patil after the MCA had elections shortly after.
