BCCI begins disbursing pending COVID-19 compensation for domestic players

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has begun to disburse match fees of domestic cricketers, both male and female, for tournaments that had to be called off due to COVID-19 in the 2020-21 season.

The 2020-21 Ranji Trophy seasoned had to be shelved for the first time in its 85-year history due to the impact of the deadly virus. In the women's category, the T20 tournament was also canceled due to the second wave.

According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, players from associations who have sent in invoices have been paid 50 percent of their match fees. However, a number of players are yet to receive payments because of procedural delays over invoices. These players will likely be compensated soon once the BCCI receives the invoices.

The compensation is being given out by the BCCI based on a formula worked out by a Mohammad Azharuddin-led seven-member working group. A cricketer who took part in eight matches in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy, received ₹11.20 lakh, with the match fee per day for the four-day tournament being ₹35,000. As per the compensation structure, the player will receive ₹5.10 lakh for the 2020-21 season.

The report further stated that players who were not part of the XI for certain matches in 2019-20 will be compensated for 2020-21 on a pro-rata basis. So, if a cricketer was part of a team's XI for four matches and on the bench for four games in the 2019-20 season, his compensation for 2020-21 will be as follows - 50 percent of the match fees for four games and 50 percent of the corresponding fees for players outside the starting XI for the remainder of the matches.

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BCCI’s pay hike for domestic players

The BCCI had earlier announced a hike in match fees for domestic players for the 2021-22 season. As per the new slab, senior male cricketers will earn between ₹40,000 and 60,000 per day of cricket, while senior female players will earn up to ₹20,000 per day.

The hike announced by the BCCI is small for cricketers who have played under 20 matches but for those with 40-plus games, it is almost a 100 percent raise. Ones who have played between 21 and 40 matches will earn ₹50,000. Previously, senior men's cricketers earned ₹35,000 per day for first-class and one-day games irrespective of experience, and ₹17,500 per T20 match.

Senior women’s cricketers earlier earned ₹12,500 per one-day match and ₹6,250 per T20 match. The same has been increased to ₹20,000 for playing XI members and ₹10,000 for those on the bench.

Meanwhile, the new Ranji Trophy season is scheduled to be held from January 13 to March 20. However, with COVID-19 cases on the rise again in India, worries persist over the event being affected.