CHENNAI: Umpire Sudhir Rao (name changed) has to take a pay cut for a day from his regular employer to allow him an opportunity to officiate in an inter-district match. Since the game was his passion, he always wanted to be a cricketer but ended up being an umpire. Some kind of a consolation for not pursuing cricket as a career. Becoming an official helped him stay connected with the game.
Cut to match day. Rao stood there for almost seven hours officiating in the match and got Rs 3000. The amount seems decent as it takes his monthly income to around Rs 90,000 (for a 30-day month). But here's the catch. Most of these umpires, who work for their respective state associations, do not get matches even for 100 days in a year. A few state association umpires on an average get 35-40 days of work annually which takes their earnings to about Rs 1,20,000. Don't forget to deduct the salary cut they have to take from their employers.
Lucrative from outside
Of late, a lot of cricketers have forayed into umpiring making it a viable career option especially for those, who who cannot fulfil their dreams of playing at the highest level. To some extent, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) also paved the way for these former cricketers to switch professions by introducing criteria favouring them.
The trend looks lucrative but the ground realities are different. Only a handful of these umpires are able to earn a handsome salary through umpiring but most of them are forced to work elsewhere to make ends meet. Earlier, things were a bit different. A few matches for state helped them get a government job. Working for the government — be it the central or state — made part-time umpiring job much more viable even if the match fee per day was pittance (between Rs 200 to 500 per day). However, in today's time, it is difficult to survive solely on umpiring even if the match fee has grown up.
"Most of us, who took umpiring, had government jobs so it was easy. We were umpiring out of passion not for money. It was a way for us to stay in touch with the game. We always have a fallback option and a secured future with pension guaranteed after retirement. Same is not the case now as government jobs are hardly available," a former state-level umpire, who recently retired from his government job, told this daily.
It's not that umpires do not get pension but the bracket hardly covers those who genuinely need the cushion. Only umpires, who have officiated in the international matches before 2006, are eligible for the pension which ranges between Rs 45,000 to Rs 30,000 per month.
Surplus problem
Five years ago, the BCCI raised the retirement age of the umpires from 55 to 60. A year later, the board revised it to 65 subject to umpires' physical fitness. A reason behind the move was sudden dearth of experienced umpires due to mass retirement. Having faced the problem, the BCCI then conducted a direct Level 2 examination for former cricketers in 2023. It also conducted examinations two years later. State association followed suit thus leading to an influx of umpires. Domestic cricket, however, has not changed a lot with number of matches remaining almost the same. With no increase in tournaments, the same number of matches are now being shared by a rather big pool of umpires, thereby reducing revenue share.
"India currently has around 170-180 umpires. The matches remain the same. This has reduced per umpire income drastically," said a national-level umpire. Adding further he said, "Earlier we used to get around 60 days during the domestic season, now it has reduced to 35. Almost 50 per cent cut. There are other factors that affect umpires. Concept of neutrality is one of them. If a state side from where an umpire hails has made it to the knockout stage then that umpire cannot feature in the future matches involving that team. The same principle applies internationally as well."
A few associations like Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) try to give more matches to those who are unemployed but even that is not enough. "Usually, an umpire gets around 20 matches but the TNCA makes sure the unemployed ones get around 100-120 games in a season. They also get matches in their respective districts. But that is hardly enough as even that takes their annual income to between Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh," one of the TN umpires said. Such umpires usually become an LIC agent or pursue some other jobs.
"The umpires go unnoticed and it's a thankless job. Even if he has done well in 599 balls, he will be spoken for that one ball and one bad call. They have to toil in the field for years to earn the respect of players. Most of them cannot graduate to the next level as there is less opportunity to become a BCCI level umpire. With the board preferring former players these days, they climb up the ladder easily. There is no such provision for experienced state level umpires."
Pay hike, ranking in domestic
Another national umpire said the pay hike is the need of the hour for the those officiating in the domestic tournaments. "It's been more than five years since the last hike. A considerable rise is the need of hour to make up for the sharp decrease in the number of matches," he said. He also felt the experienced umpires should be given priorities especially for big matches. "Those who are toiling in the circuit for more than a decade should be given preference. Their experience will not only benefit the game but also help them earn a decent amount which they deserve given their hard work in all these years. The fresh set of umpires should get the match but not at the cost of the experienced ones."
Another issue raised by one of the umpires is non-disclosure of rankings of domestic umpires in the last two-three years. "The rankings make the whole process transparent. It not only helps the umpires know where they stand but also ensures the deserving candidates get their share of matches," said the umpire.
IPL, WPL a boon
The Indian Premier League gave these umpires a new lease of life as it led to a sharp hike in match fees. The Women's Premier League added a new dimension to it. "The T20 format came in 2005 and gained traction after the first edition of the T20 World Cup two years later. But the match fee remained Rs 7500 per day along with DA of between Rs 750-1000 till the IPL. It was the IPL that changed things for the good. The match fees was first hiked to Rs 15000 and later made Rs 20000. Besides, only four umpires do an international match at a time but in the IPL 20 umpires get the work. So IPL led to paradigm shift," an umpire, who has officiated in the IPL, said.
No doubt, umpires are better in comparison to ground staff, scorers and curators but given the important role they play and the amount of time they spend on the field, they deserve a steady source of income. If it's cricketers who draw the crowd and make the game popular, it's the umpires who maintain its sanctity and make sure cricket is played within the rules. As a judge has to be well paid to maintain the dignity of the court and prevent corruption, an umpire too has to be compensated decently irrespective of the matches he or she is officiating in to keep the sport true to its name — a gentleman's game.