BCCI's money woes continue as cricketers go unpaid, PCB threatens to sue

Players haven't received payments for last year's matches; incentives worth Rs 1 cr remains unpaid

The stand-off between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has started impacting the remuneration of cricketers, reveal sources in the know. The Indian cricket team, according to sources close to the development, is yet to be paid for the multiple test series it played last year, including the incentive amounting to Rs 1 crore.

According to the remuneration rules, each playing member of the squad is paid Rs 15 lakh per match, while those on the bench are paid Rs 7 lakh a match. Usually, these payments are made within two months. The non-payment is not restricted to the men’s team, but also applies to the women’s team that is entitled to get a remuneration of Rs 1 lakh per player for each match.

There seems to be no resolution in sight for the delay since the stand-off between BCCI and CoA sees no immediate solution. Those in the know also reveal that signing authority for some of the financial disbursements still rests with the BCCI officials and that could be leading to delays as well.

However, BCCI’s woes do not end there. While it has been fighting battles on the domestic front with the CoA, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to legally notify the BCCI by next week about compensation for India's refusal to play bilateral series that were scheduled to take place between 2015 and 2023.

According to a top PCB official, compensation claim would be for the revenue Pakistan would have generated by hosting India in the two series under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two Boards in 2014.

"We feel that we are justified and legally in a strong position to now claim compensation from the Indian board for all the losses we have suffered because of their refusal to play with us," the official told PTI.

The Board's legal advisor Salman Naseer had reportedly visited London recently in connection with the preparation of the legal battle.

Under the MoU, India and Pakistan were scheduled to play six series, out of which three of them would be played in Pakistan's turf. According to the official, losses incurred in the process are worth $200 million.

Pakistan, however, did not oppose the 'Big Three' system of governance and revenue distribution. 

The other thorn in the BCCI’s side right now is its tussle with the ICC over compensation for the upcoming Champions Trophy to be played in England from June. While the ICC has offered to pay up to $390 million to the Indian board, the BCCI has threatened to withdraw from the tournament unless its demand of $450 million is met. 

Officials from India, including the likes of Rajeev Shukla, have however vocally come out opposing India’s withdrawal from the Champions Trophy, saying “it would isolate India from the cricketing world.”