Quite like the Australian team did a while ago, Indian cricketers — led by Virat Kohli — too are all set to take to the war path if the call for a pay raise is ignored by the BCCI.
A storm is brewing in Indian cricket. Virat Kohli and co., who are in a rampaging form on the field, could soon be up in arms against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), if the authorities don’t heed their call for a pay rise.
Much like their Australian counterparts, who recently threatened to boycott the Ashes while negotiating over a long-drawn salary dispute, Indian cricketers are warming up for an unprecedented tussle against the world’s richest cricketing board, to get their rightful dues.
While the Aussies settled the issue through their players’ association, an outspoken Kohli will have a calming influence in M.S. Dhoni and shrewd coach Ravi Shastri by his side when he meets Vinod Rai, the chairman of the Committee of Administrators (COA), in New Delhi this weekend during the third Test against Sri Lanka.
Indian players who are in the top grade are currently getting Rs 2 crore a year, but Kohli wants the amount to be increased to at least Rs 5 crore.
The BCCI might be the richest board in the world, but the fact remains that Indian cricketers earn way below global standards for representing the country. It was no exaggeration when Shastri said India players are paid peanuts.
For those who think Indians are the highest paid cricketers in the world, consider this: Australia skipper Steve Smith earns $1.47 million and England’s Joe Root $1.38 million, whereas Kohli gets just around $1 million through annual board contracts and match fees. The Indian skipper, however, earns Rs 15 crore a year from Royal Challengers Bangalore for playing in the IPL.
BCCI contracts around 25 players centrally, with three grades with Rs 2 crore being the highest, and also pays match fees. These payments are funded from an allotted revenue pool where players — international, domestic, juniors and women — share 26 per cent of BCCI’s annual revenue. However, BCCI doesn’t include the money generated through IPL in the revenue pool.
It was former India coach Anil Kumble who belled the cat, when he suggested that the players’ share of the pie should be 26 per cent of all board income, including the IPL revenues. And in September, the pay hike talks gained momentum when BCCI signed the biggest deal in Indian television and sports history, by bagging Rs 16,347.5 crore for a five-year media rights contract with Star India.
The general body of the BCCI has to approve the decision even if the COA agrees to Kohli’s demands. A BCCI official said it’s not going to get unanimous support in the general body, as giving pay raise means cutting down the annual handout to state associations. “BCCI usually splits the revenue 70-30 between state associations and its own expenses. Associations are currently getting around Rs 25-30 crore and with the increase in IPL revenue it’s expected to be Rs 40 to 50 crore. I don’t see associations liking the idea of giving away from their share,” he added.
Another official said BCCI has already asked financial services firm Deloitte to work out a revenue sharing model. “The Deloitte recommendations say that the BCCI gross revenue doesn’t include money generated by the IPL. Players are compensated well through their IPL franchises and they can’t be paid twice,” he explained.
If Kohli manages to convince the general body, it would be interesting to see in which contract category Dhoni would come in given that he has retired from test cricket, considered the highest format. The question whether specialists deserve better remuneration has not been answered. However, the whole dispute is more egalitarian, as a greater share of the BCCI gross revenues for the players would mean every player in Indian cricket would be set to benefit.
