Ranji players yet to receive last year’s match fee
The delay has apparently been caused by CoA blocking funds to states
The Ranji Trophy is only 42 days away, but domestic players are yet to receive their match-day fee for the previous season that concluded with Gujarat winning the title in January. The delay has been caused by Committee of Administrators (CoA) blocking funds and subsidies issued to BCCI member units for failing to implement Lodha panel recommendations. With players making repeated requests to their respective state units, members have asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to treat the matter with utmost importance with the CoA.
However, it is understood that the Vinod Rai-led panel is firm on its stance that until and unless units accept the reforms, there will be no talks of releasing funds, although there is a provision to pay players directly. As per practice, state units used to pay players a part of their match-fee (Rs 10,000) on the morning of the match with the BCCI reimbursing it later.
The remaining used to be paid directly by the BCCI after the accounts are cleared during the annual general body meeting held usually during September. The Supreme Court, on the insistence of the CoA, put on hold the BCCI’s disbursement of funds to state units during the beginning of the last Ranji season. With funds supply cut, few state units, who were not entirely dependent on BCCI’s subsidies, continued to pay players.
However, despite paying match-fees, these associations have not been reimbursed yet and those units who are completely dependent on BCCI are yet to a pay a single penny. “As long as we had funds, we were releasing match-fees to players directly as it can always be reimbursed later on. But it’s been a year since the grants have been stopped and if we pay players, we have to compromise on other aspects that will disturb players training and preparation.
"The players are also running out of patience because the pay in domestic cricket is already less, ” a state-unit official told Express. This comes at a time when there is a growing demand for the pay structure for domestic players be increased. Though there is a strong possibility that a pay hike will soon come about, players are amused why the CoA, despite having the provision to allow the BCCI to pay directly, hasn’t released any funds yet.
“The CoA need not release the money to any state units. They can pay the players directly and there won’t be any third-party involvement. That is the procedure followed while they pay the annual contract. If they want to be hard on the associations by freezing funds, then it is understandable. But they have to realise that players are suffering,” a board official said.
The Ranji Trophy is only 42 days away, but domestic players are yet to receive their match-day fee for the previous season that concluded with Gujarat winning the title in January. The delay has been caused by Committee of Administrators (CoA) blocking funds and subsidies issued to BCCI member units for failing to implement Lodha panel recommendations. With players making repeated requests to their respective state units, members have asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to treat the matter with utmost importance with the CoA.
However, it is understood that the Vinod Rai-led panel is firm on its stance that until and unless units accept the reforms, there will be no talks of releasing funds, although there is a provision to pay players directly. As per practice, state units used to pay players a part of their match-fee (Rs 10,000) on the morning of the match with the BCCI reimbursing it later.
The remaining used to be paid directly by the BCCI after the accounts are cleared during the annual general body meeting held usually during September. The Supreme Court, on the insistence of the CoA, put on hold the BCCI’s disbursement of funds to state units during the beginning of the last Ranji season. With funds supply cut, few state units, who were not entirely dependent on BCCI’s subsidies, continued to pay players.
However, despite paying match-fees, these associations have not been reimbursed yet and those units who are completely dependent on BCCI are yet to a pay a single penny.
“As long as we had funds, we were releasing match-fees to players directly as it can always be reimbursed later on. But it’s been a year since the grants have been stopped and if we pay players, we have to compromise on other aspects that will disturb players training and preparation.
"The players are also running out of patience because the pay in domestic cricket is already less, ” a state-unit official told Express. This comes at a time when there is a growing demand for the pay structure for domestic players be increased. Though there is a strong possibility that a pay hike will soon come about, players are amused why the
CoA, despite having the provision to allow the BCCI to pay directly, hasn’t released any funds yet.
“The CoA need not release the money to any state units. They can pay the players directly and there won’t be any third-party involvement. That is the procedure followed while they pay the annual contract. If they want to be hard on the associations by freezing funds, then it is understandable. But they have to realise that players are suffering,” a board official said.
(Courtesy: The New Indian Express)
