BCCI considering increasing match fees for Test and first-class cricket, reports suggest

Reportedly the BCCI is considering tripling the match fees for Test and first-class matches to promote read-ball cricket among the players. According to The Times of India, the board discussed the same with the captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar and everything started following the contract saga.

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer out of BCCI contract

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not included in the new BCCI contract lists for 2023-24. This came after the players were criticized for missing the Ranji Trophy. While Ishan Kishan opted for a break from cricket last year but was seen practicing in Gujarat, for Shreyas Iyer it was even more controversial. Despite being declared by the National Cricket Academy, he was not participating in the Ranji Trophy citing a back pain problem. The BCCI secretary Jay Shah also warned them of severe complications that saw the duo eventually joining their Ranji teams.

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BCCI considering to increase remuneration for Test and Ranji

However, the BCCI seemed to have decided to make the cricketers understand the importance of Test domestic cricket and the contract list reflected the same. According to the TOI, the board is considering increasing the money for the Test match and first-class cricket.

“The recommendations are on the lines of increasing the Test match and first-class fees by three times,” TOI quoted a BCCI source as saying. The source added, “The idea is that if a player plays the entire Ranji Trophy, he should be able to make around Rs 75 lakhs which matches an average IPL contract. It has also been suggested that if a player plays all Test matches in a year, he should be able to make Rs 15 crores which is at par for any marquee IPL contract.”

“The board may not agree to increasing the remuneration by three times at one go but they are considering meeting the players at mid-point. Even that should be a hefty raise. This is why the board has not announced the value of contracts. The board will have to decide if it wants to raise the match fees or make specified contracts accordingly.”

Currently, for playing the Ranji Trophy players get remuneration of around ₹25 lakh yearly. The fee for each Test, meanwhile is, ₹15 lakh. The board feels that the quality of the Ranji Trophy has not been up to the mark recently and the players are inclined to the IPL. Players opting out of the Ranji Trophy has affected India’s Test matches as well.