BCCI Plans To Increase Match Fees For Ranji Players To Elevate Red Ball Value. After recently enhancing payments for Test cricketers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly devising a similar remuneration structure for the Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament as the BCCI seeks to curb the trend of players prioritizing the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic cricket. It is now exploring ways to incentivize participation in red-ball Ranji Trophy matches.
“Aiming to further prioritize red-ball cricket, the BCCI is contemplating increasing the match fees to better reward players who compete in the Ranji Trophy,” revealed a BCCI official to The Indian Express.
As part of the Test Cricket Incentive Scheme introduced by the BCCI in March. Players will receive an incentive of up to Rs 45 lakh per Test match, in addition to the existing Rs 15 lakh match fee.
In Ranji Trophy cricket, the BCCI pays players between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000 per day as match fees, depending on the number of matches they have played over different seasons. For example, a player participating in all seven group games in a season would earn around Rs 11.2 lakh annually.
The match fees offered in Ranji Trophy cricket are lower than the base price for an IPL player, which stands at Rs 20 lakh for two months of T20 cricket. Recently, there have been instances where players with Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts opted to skip Ranji Trophy games. Possibly to minimize the risk of injury or to focus on staying fit for the lucrative T20 league.
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According to The Indian Express, out of the 165 Indian cricketers who registered for IPL 2024. 56 didn’t play any matches in the Ranji season, even though they were part of their state teams’ plans. Additionally, 25 players participated in just one Ranji match. During a recent discussion with this newspaper, cricketer R Ashwin mentioned the BCCI’s stance. Emphasizing that India’s top cricketers should prioritize playing in the Ranji Trophy when they are not engaged in international matches.
In February, when the BCCI announced the centrally contracted players. India-capped players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were excluded from the list. They failed to participate in the Ranji Trophy.
