Virat Kohli asks for a raise in player salaries

Indian captain Virat Kohli has demanded a further pay hike just weeks after BCCI doubled their contracts from last year.

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Virat Kohli
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Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)

On the backs of one of the most successful home seasons, Virat Kohli demanded a pay increase of all the Indian cricketers. Interestingly, the BCCI hiked the player’s salaries only last month – that too by more than double. Kohli, with the support of India coach Anil Kumble, has requested the world’s richest board to increase the contract amount further.

Kohli was recently educated about how other international cricketers are earning much more than the Indian lot. The BCCI’s budgeted surplus of the current fiscal year stands at Rs 509.13 crores, yet Indian players stand fourth in the list of most paid cricketers around the world, behind – England, Australia and South Africa. Kohli now wants to have a different set of contacts for Tests and ODIs as he makes a very good point that guys like Cheteshwar Pujara don’t earn much in the current contract system as they play just one format of the game. He has also urged the BCCI to increase the Grade ‘A’ retainer to Rs 5 crore, Grade ‘B’ retainer to Rs 3 crore and Rs 1.5 crore for the Grade ‘C’ category as reported by First Post.

The Committee of Association (COA) headed by ex-CAG Vinod Rai oversees the BCCI operations and hence Kohli’s wish was brought to their notice. A BCCI official said that the cricketers will have to wait till the conclusion of the Indian Premier League. All the BCCI office bearers will meet the COA for a meeting in Hyderabad on April 5 but this issue can’t be discussed as the agenda of the meeting is already set.

Earlier, the likes of Dhoni and Kohli used to make Rs 1 crore as part of their Grad ‘A’ contract. This was doubled to Rs 2 crore in the last week of March which coincided with India’s Test series win against Australia at Dharamsala last month. Kohli, though, claims that the cricketers are still not happy with the increased wages as the likes of Steven Smith, David Warner and Joe Root earn much more than the Indians. According to a source, these players earn anywhere between 10-12 crores a year and a top Indian-cricketer earns just 4-5 crores inclusive of contract retainer and match fees.

Kohli’s demand makes much more sense especially after knowing that the BCCI is the highest earning board in the world and also has a huge share from the revenues of the ICC. A players association can also be formed – as advised by the Supreme Court once – who could negotiate with the board over the wages of the players, something which Australia and West Indies practice.

It is learnt that the COA is considering the pay hike demand seriously. It is only logical because these hard-working cricketers help BCCI earn loads of money throughout the share.

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