Indian Cricket Board consults captain, head coach, chief selector to revive players’ interest in red-ball cricket

The Indian Cricket Board, the richest cricket governing body in the world, tries its best to maintain the hype and spirit of the traditional format of the game. In a bid to revive players’ interest in red-ball cricket, the board is understood to be considering a substantial hike in Indian cricketers’ remuneration. The development comes a day after the announcement of the senior men cricketers’ annual contract list for the 2023-24 season.

On Wednesday, the board released the annual retainership list, shockingly leaving out Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. Both made headlines when they decided not to participate in the Ranji Trophy season. Despite directives from the board and head coach Rahul Dravid, they continued to skip India’s premier red-ball tournament while not featuring in the national team. This has forced the board to take a bold decision and favour other players who are willing to play in the longer format.

According to a TOI report, the cricket board is in talks with Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar on ways to revive players’ interest in domestic and international red-ball matches. Sources say the board may consider raising the players’ match fee/remuneration – both Test and domestic – so that it matches the remuneration of lower mid-level Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts.

Player to be rewarded at a similar level as IPL

It has come to the notice of the board that players prefer IPL/shorter format over red ball cricket. The Ranji Trophy has been regarded as a pathway to the Indian national team for years, but the interest shown by players in this tournament has dwindled in recent times.

“The board has asked for recommendations from the Indian team management. They are taking a very aggressive approach towards maintaining the sanctity of the longest format of the game. It is imperative that players, who are committed to first-class cricket, are rewarded at a similar level as IPL cricket. That would mean that existing remuneration has to be multiplied,” a source was quoted as saying by TOI.

According to the report, if a player plays all the Ranji Trophy matches he can earn Rs 75 lakhs per year, while if a player plays all the Tests in a year he can make Rs 15 crores.

“The recommendations are on the lines of increasing the Test match and first-class fees by three times. The idea is that if a player plays the entire Ranji Trophy, he should be able to make around Rs 75 lakhs which matches an average IPL contract. It has also been suggested that if a player plays all Test matches in a year, he should be able to make Rs 15 crores which is at par for any marquee IPL contract,” the source added.