Former first-class players request BCCI to revise their pension

Former first-class players including Sanjay Jagdale, Ashu Dani and Vinay Limba have approached the BCCI to raise their monthly pension by 50 percent.

A monthly gratis is paid to cricketers who have played at least 25 first-class games by 2003-04, but the amount has not been revised since 2015 despite repeated requests to the Committee of Administrators (CoA).

The affected players wrote to BCCI acting president C K Khanna, who, in turn, has requested the CoA to address the issue.

"BCCI keeps the welfare of its cricketers in mind, and the former cricketers are reaching out to BCCI with a hope that the areas highlight by them will be looked into and implemented.

"While discussions have been held over the revision of pension of retired international cricketers and domestic cricketers who played at least 25 first-class games by 2003-04 and that the amount was revised in 2015; the players are waiting for revision of pension," Khanna wrote in his e-mail to the COA.

Players who have played more than 75 first-class games have also been recipients of BCCI's one-time benefit scheme but multiple requests have been made to the BCCI to include cricketers who have played less than 75 matches.

Jagdale, who has also been a BCCI secretary, has played 53 first-class games for Madhya Pradesh while Delhi's Dani has featured in 49 matches.

"The former players' demand is a valid one and should be addressed at the earliest. The BCCI's chief financial officer has been told to work on it but there is no clarity over the reason for delay," a board official told PTI.

It is unlikely that the current dispensation will approve the players' request anytime soon with fresh elections set to be held on October 22.