Last Updated:
It has been reported that the thinking behind floating such a proposal is to ensure that players are more “accountable” and, if needed, face a pay cut based on their performance.
BCCI likely to introduce performance-based variable pay for players. (Picture Credit: AFP)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials on Saturday, January 11, held a review meeting of India’s performance in the recently concluded five-match Test series against Australia in Mumbai with captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. According to a report in the Indian Express on Tuesday, one of the suggestions that was mooted in the review meeting was the introduction of a performance-based variable pay structure for the players.
As per the available information, the idea behind floating such a proposal is to ensure that players are more “accountable” and, if needed, face a pay cut based on their performance. It has been reported that if the performance of any player is not up to the mark, it would impact his earnings.
“It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable, and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay cuts,” a source was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
Last year, BCCI introduced an incentive system for its Test players. As part of it, players who feature in more than 50% of Tests in a season since 2022-23 would receive a financial incentive of Rs 30 lakh per game, and the payout will increase to Rs 45 lakh per game for every player who plays at least 75% of the matches in a season.
During the meeting, the top officials also discussed that some players are giving less importance to Test cricket and “lacking intent” for it.
“There was discussion whether the current players were a bit indifferent when India loses a Test match. The team management understands the value of Test cricket, but many players don’t give too much importance to it,” the source said.
In the 2024-25 season, India has only managed to win three out of 10 Test matches and, for the first time in history, lose a Test series at home against New Zealand. In the five-match Test series against Australia, India won the series opener by 295 runs to take a 1-0 lead but went on to lose three of the remaining four matches to concede the series with a scoreline of 1-3.
