The debate around improving conditions for domestic cricketers in India is heated up once again. Legendary India captain Sunil Gavaskar has opined on the need to address some long standing issues preventing players from fully committing to Ranji Trophy.
In a thought provoking interview, Gavaskar shed light on the relatively small payouts domestic cricketers receive despite dedicating months to Ranji Trophy. The average player takes home just 15 lakhs for a full season which spans over 40 days of cricket. In comparison, some popular tennis ball leagues pay players double the amount for under a week’s work. No wonder some are swayed away from the premier first-class competition.
To encourage full participation, Gavaskar proposed introducing a centralized contract system for domestic players. This would make it mandatory for contracted players to represent their state in Ranji Trophy, barring injury. He also suggested significant hike in match fees through a slab system. Better performers accumulating more appearances would fall in higher pay brackets.
Scheduling was another area identified by the cricket legend. He believes Ranji Trophy should take place prior to IPL auctions to keep players motivated. The current routine of staging Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament first does not help the cause of red-ball cricket.
With IPL contracts luring players away, state associations are left with little control over availability of their players. Gavaskar recommended associations withhold NOCs for players breaching contracts. Unless the BCCI takes urgently needed steps to tackle the fundamental issues, the future of Ranji Trophy remains uncertain. It’s high time action is taken to secure the future of our revered domestic competition.
