Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) acting president CK Khanna has written to Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators (CoA), proposing a 50 percent increase in the pension amounts of the players who played at least 25 first-class matches till 2003-04 after several former players reached out to the board with the difficulties they face in sustaining their livelihood.
Khanna recommended a pension of Rs 15000 per month for players who played 25-50 first-class matches, Rs 22500 for those who played 50-74 first-class matches, Rs 30000 for over 75 matches and Rs 37500 for those who played less than five Tests. “We need to keep in mind that there was no contract system during those days and opportunities to make the Indian squad were very less, let alone the introduction of IPL,” Khanna reasoned.
Media had reported on 24th August last year that the CoA had put the revision of the pension amounts in cold storage after the BCCI working committee in 2015 had contemplated extending the benefit to players who played between 50-74 first-class matches before further revising it to 25-74 matches besides the international players who retired before 2003-04. BCCI had given one-time benefits to players in 2013 who had played more than 75 first-class matches.
While discussing the matter in April 2017, CoA was apprehensive about the financial impact if the benefit was extended to players who have played between 25-74 matches. Interestingly, BCCI saw an increase of Rs 1476 crores in its net surplus at the start of the 2018-19 financial year.
The players who wrote to Khanna, mentioned the discrimination between international and domestic cricketers.
BCCI written to SC-appointed CoA proposing 50% increase in pension amounts of players
