Forget this year, BCCI yet to pay Ranji Trophy cricketers for previous year

Payment is delayed because of impasse between Vinod Rai-led CoA appointed by the Supreme Court and BCCI

Domestic players are facing the heat of Supreme Court's action against the BCCI as they have not received a major part of their Ranji match fees for the second successive season. 

The delay, as reported by The Indian Express, is because of the impasse between the Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators (CoA) and state units over implementing the Supreme Court-ordered Justice RM Lodha reforms. The committee has blocked funds of all defiant states for not implementing the panel's recommendations.

The other reason for the delay is the new payment plan that the COA is working on.

“The players have not received money from the Board. I have been told players will receive their full payment once the AGM (annual general meeting) takes place. But we don’t know when the AGM will happen. As far as MCA is concerned we have paid our players what we owe them but we are yet to receive the Board’s money,” Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) joint secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told the newspaper.

The issue has left players, especially the juniors across India who have no other source of income, restless. The players have been approaching their respective states to take the matter up with the BCCI and CoA.

The situation is worse in Jammu and Kashmir, whose players have not received money from the state's association as well. The state's senior-most cricketer Parvez Rasool revealed that his team has not received money from the home association and BCCI for the last three years.

“We stay in five-star hotels across India for our domestic games. But the players have to spend their own money for food. We haven’t even got daily allowance over the last three years. Forget the BCCI revenue money,” IE quoted Rasool. 

Players of most other states have at least received part payment from state units.

The lion's share of players' Ranji Trophy fees comes from BCCI, which has earmarked 10.6 per cent of its total gross revenue for the purpose. 

In an August 25 report on the same issue, BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary told DNA that the matter was taken up during meetings and was decided to bypass the states and make the payments directly to players. When asked about the deadline, he had said that the payment "should be made before the next season (2017-18) starts". The season is now over but the players remain unpaid.