KOLKATA: Keeping in line with the promise of bettering first-class cricket he’d made after being elected, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly hinted at introducing a contract system for domestic players; a move that could bring cricketers in these rungs a sense of security.
Currently, a domestic cricketer annually earns around Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakh, depending on the matches played. The match-fee for a first-class game is Rs 35,000 per day (excluding daily allowance). Thirteen per cent of the gross revenue generated by BCCI through broadcast rights is also distributed among them.
“We will bring in a contract system for first-class cricketers. We (office-bearers) will ask the new finance (sub) committee to prepare a contract system,” Ganguly told. “It’s just been four, five days and in between there was a Diwali break. It will take about two weeks to assess everything and move forward. There is a lot of work going on.”
The move, which mirrors the annual central contract for the nation’s internationals, could be a game-changer for domestic cricketers. However, in a big country like India, working out modalities for a contract system will be a complex task, as every state has different working mechanism.
There have been talks about this but whether it can be implemented this season or not needs to be seen. Under this arrangement, it is understood that state associations will send names to BCCI, who will then structure the payments. The number of players too needs to be fixed. And this move needs to be ratified by the general body as well as the apex council. Whether BCCI draws a broad outline for gradation of players, or instructs the state units to do the same, Ganguly is going in the right direction.