World's Richest Cricket Board BCCI Hasn't Paid Its Star Gamers In 10 Months

The world's richest cricket board hasn’t paid some of the world’s richest cricketers their dues for close to 10 months now. The BCCI’s 27 elite contracted players are yet to receive the first of the quarterly installments due since October last year. The board has also not disbursed match fees for the two Tests, nine ODIs and eight T20 games that the national team has played since December 2019.

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The total retainer amount due for contracted cricketers annually is Rs 99 crore, with the payment divided on grading. While Grade A+ cricketers Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah get Rs 7 crore annually, the other regulars in grades A, B and C get Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively. The match fees for each Test, ODI and T20 are Rs 15 lakh, Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, respectively.

BCCI:

According to the last balance sheet made public by the BCCI, it had cash and bank balance of Rs 5,526 crore, as of March 2018, including Rs 2,992 crore in fixed deposits. In April 2018, the BCCI signed a five-year broadcasting deal with Star TV worth Rs 6,138.1 crore.

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And yet, eight of the contracted cricketers confirmed to BCCI hasn’t paid cricket stars their dues in 10 months

The Indian Express that the payments haven’t been credited. BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal did not respond to texts and calls seeking comment. However, board sources blamed the delay partly on uncertainty at the helm.

The board has not had a Chief Financial officer since December, and a Chief Executive Officer and General Manager (Cricket Operations) since last month. “These crucial administrative positions haven’t been filled after the contract of the previous functionaries weren’t extended by the present dispensation,” said sources.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, too, have exhausted their tenure, as per the board’s Constitution. The board has approached the Supreme Court for annulling the “cooling off” clause in the Constitution so that both can retain their positions.

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According to the BCCI website, all the state units have been credited Rs 10 crore each as part payment of the annual subsidy for cricket activities.

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