Players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been on the spotlight recently for skipping Ranji Trophy.
The recent trend in Indian cricket, in which the players are more concerned about IPL rather than red-ball cricket, has forced BCCI to make a change in the pay structure. The Board is considering to give further bonus to the players in their match fees for their commitment to Test cricket.
It is understood that the Board has decided to redraft the pay structure after a few players skipped domestic first-class cricket and are instead preparing for the IPL, to be starting from March 22.
The BCCI currently pays INR 15 lakh per match for Tests, INR 6 lakh for ODI, and 3 lakh for T20I. According to the new salary model, the BCCI is working on giving an additional bonus to the player if he plays all the Test series in a season.
A source in the Board explained the new remuneration model. “For example, if someone plays all Test series in a calendar year, he should be rewarded additionally, apart from the annual retainer contract. This is to ensure that players turn out for more red-ball cricket. This would be an additional perk for playing Test cricket,” the source explained.
Jay Shah, BCCI secretary, raised serious concerns a few days ago about players prioritizing IPL over red-ball cricket. He clearly mentioned that performance in domestic cricket remained a yardstick to selection in the national team, and non-participation will carry severe implications.
In the recent times, players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been on the spotlight for choosing to not be available for Ranji Trophy despite the NCA declaring them fit to play.
Ishan Kishan took a break from cricket and cited his mental health issues as the reason. The 25-year-old was later training in Baroda along with newly-appointed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya despite repeated requests from BCCI officials to participate in the Ranji Trophy.
Kishan did not have any communication with the Jharkhand Cricket Association while Iyer told Mumbai Cricket Association that he had a back injury, which was denied by Nitin Patel, the NCA chief head of sports science and medicine.
