Indian cricketers are among the highest earners in world cricket. And the reason is quite obvious, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) racks up huge amounts through its broadcast deals and other partnership deals.
So, the Indian players also get a small chunk of it through their central contracts with the BCCI. But apart from their annual retainers, the Indian cricketers also earn match fees for featuring in international matches, which makes significant contributions to their earnings.
On that note, let’s look at the match fees of Indian cricketers in international and domestic cricket.
What are the match fees for senior men’s and women’s Indian cricketers (international)?
In October 2022, the BCCI announced equal match fees for both their senior men’s and women’s Indian cricketers. Before the board implemented the ‘pay equity policy’, women’s cricketers used to earn INR 2.5 lakh for a Test and INR 1 lakh for an ODI or a T20I.
But now, both men’s and women’s cricketers get INR 15 lakh per Test if they are in the playing XI and INR 7.5 lakh if they are in the reserves. If they feature in an ODI match, they will earn INR 6 lakh, while those on the bench will get INR 3 lakh. For a T20I match, a player in the playing XI will bag INR 3 lakh, while a reserve will get INR 1.5 lakh.
What about the senior men’s domestic cricketers?
Unlike the senior international cricketers, most of the state cricket associations don’t offer any annual contracts to the domestic cricketers. So the match fees become more important for those who toil hard in the domestic circuit.
In 2021, the BCCI revamped the match fee structure for their premier first-class competition, the Ranji Trophy. Earlier, players used to get INR 35,000 per day playing a single four-day Ranji Trophy match. So their total earning from one Ranji match was INR 1.4 lakh.
But now there is a dynamic match fee structure in place for Ranji Trophy matches. Players with 40-plus Ranji matches now earn INR 60,000 per day for being in the XI, while reserves get INR 30,000.
Any player with 21 to 40 appearances takes INR 50,000 per day home, with reserves making INR 25,000. And players with 20 or fewer caps earn INR 40,000, while reserves get INR 20,000.
Apart from the Ranji Trophy, the BCCI also organises the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-overs) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) for men’s teams.
A playing XI appearance in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match results in a player getting INR 50,000, while a reserve gets INR 25,000. As for a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match, a playing XI member earns INR 17,500, while reserves get INR 8,750.
Are the match fees the same for senior women’s domestic cricketers?
No. The match fees are different for senior women’s domestic cricketers.
The BCCI had also revised the match fees for women’s cricketers in 2021. Earlier, senior women’s cricketers would earn INR 12,500 per match for being in the playing XI, while reserves would get INR 6,250 for limited-overs matches.
But now if they feature in a 50-over or a T20 match, they get paid INR 20,000 per game, while reserves get INR 10,000.
Do the age-group cricketers also get paid match fees?
Yes. The men’s and women’s cricketers across different age categories — under-23, under-19, and under-16 — earn match fees from BCCI.
The 2021 revised structure also increased match fees for the age-group cricketers. Now a men’s under-23 cricketer takes INR 25,000 per day, whereas reserves make INR 12,500. The match fee for a men’s under-19 player is INR 20,000, while those on the bench get INR 10,000. And the under-16 men’s cricketers bag INR 7,000, while the reserves get INR 3,500.
For the women’s age-group cricketers, they earn similar match fees of INR 10,000 per day across under-23, under-19, and under-16 categories. Those who don’t feature in the playing XI get INR 5,000 per day.
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