The BCCI could cut the salary of the top Indian cricketers on the basis of their performances on the field. The decision was taken after a review meeting of India’s 3-1 loss to Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a review meeting of Team India’s performance after their 3-1 loss to Australia in the five-match series. The Indian cricketer team have now lost 6 out of their last 8 Tests and as a result failed to qualify for the World Test Championships (WTC) final for the first time in the history.
It was inevitable that the board will take some hard measures looking at the performance of senior Indian cricketers like captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Rohit decided to drop himself for the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) earlier this month after scoring just 31 runs in the three Tests leading up to it.
Kohli, on the other hand, only managed 190 runs in 5 Tests – 100 of them coming in the second innings of the first Test in Perth. As a result, India surrendered the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) to Australia for the first time in 10 years.
One of the key proposals discussed during a review meeting on India’s 1-3 Test series defeat in Australia was the introduction of a ‘performance-based variable pay’ structure for players, a report in The Indian Express newspaper revealed.
The meeting, which reviewed the team’s performance, was attended by captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and chairman of the senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar. The proposed pay structure aims to enhance player accountability by linking earnings to individual and team performance. Inspired by corporate appraisal models, the system would potentially introduce pay cuts for players whose performances fail to meet expectations.
“A suggestion was made that players should be held accountable for their performances. If their contributions are not up to the mark, they could face variable pay reductions,” a source revealed to Indian Express newspaper.
THE PAY CUT FOR PLAYERS IN BCCI REVIEW MEETING 📢
– One of the suggestion in the BCCI meeting was if the performance of players is not up to the mark, it would impact a players earnings. [Devendra Pandey from Express Sports] pic.twitter.com/MfeT7ZFao7
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 14, 2025
Last year, the BCCI introduced an incentive-based system for Test players, rewarding those who played more than 50% of Tests in a season with Rs 30 lakh per game, and Rs 45 lakh for participation in over 75% of matches. This was part of a Rs 40-crore initiative aimed at promoting red-ball cricket, at a time when T20 formats and the IPL are increasingly lucrative.
It means the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could face a potential ‘cut’ from their lucrative salary packages from the BCCI.
Last week’s review meeting also addressed concerns about a perceived decline in some players’ commitment to Test cricket, with suggestions that certain individuals prioritize white-ball formats and lack the intent to excel in the longest format. The team management emphasized the importance of instilling an appreciation for Test cricket and the honour of earning an India Test cap among the next generation.
India’s recent struggles in Test cricket have raised alarm bells. Before the series loss in Australia, the team suffered a 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand, ending an 18-series winning streak over 12 years.
“There was a discussion about whether some players display indifference to Test match losses. While the team management values Test cricket highly, there’s a concern that some players do not share the same sentiment,” the source added.
