BCCI planning on performance-based incentives for Indian cricketers
Wed, Jul 01 2015
Indian cricketers are likely to earn incentives based on their performance. © Getty
The financial model followed by Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has encouraged Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is planning to introduce a performance-based incentive system for the Indian team for every home and away series. During the Indian Cricket Board's financial committee meeting, that took place in the capital on Wednesday, an initial blueprint was drawn for the concept.
BCCI's finance committee has agreed in principle on going the corporate way where profit sharing will be directly proportional to the board's revenue and the members discussed the possible ways of doing it. According to BCCI sources, it was Indian Premier League (IPL) chief operating officer, Sundar Raman, who provided a presentation to the finance committee members, where it was intimated that CA and ECB, as well as BCCI's next door neighbours Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also follow an incentive-based model.
"Till now, BCCI normally gave handsome incentives to cricketers during triumphs in big tournaments like 50-over World Cup, World T20 or ICC Champions Trophy. But from now on, the BCCI is planning to have incentives for each and every series played at home and away," sources said.
For example, if India win a Test series at home against a particular opposition, the cricketers will be entitled to a specific amount of incentive from the board apart from their match fees. Similarly, the amount will shoot up when they are playing some other opposition on foreign soil. Even the best performers during a particular series will get special performance-based incentives. The amount will depend on the nature of opposition, conditions, home and away and impact of the performance.
While Raman gave an initial presentation, an elaborate blueprint is likely to be chalked out on July 22, when the next meeting of the committee is held.
Meanwhile, the finance committee on Wednesday decided that India's women cricketers will be divided into two groups A and B for the gradation payment system that the BCCI is planning to introduce. Sources said that the ones in Grade A like captain Mithali Raj, pace spearhead Jhulan Goswami, top batsman Harmanpreet Kaur will be getting an annual retainership fee of Rs 10 lakh while those in grade B will be getting Rs 5 lakh.
