The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) removed the A+ category from its central contract system last month. The Indian board cited that there weren’t enough candidates in the top bracket with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli retiring from Tests and T20Is while Ravindra Jadeja quit from T20Is. However, one member from the top bracket, Jasprit Bumrah, is still active across all three formats of the game and that is likely to compel the BCCI to revisit the pay structure.
The pay for the A+ grade players was Rs 7 crore earlier, but with that category removed, Bumrah automatically came down to the A grade where the pay is Rs 5 crore. It would be unfair on the fast bowler to face the pay cut of Rs 2 crore despite being an all-format player. He has consistent received the A+ grade contract since the 2018-19 season.ย
Moreover, according to a report in the Times of India, the BCCI hasn’t officially communicated the value of the contracts this season in their release. The players have also not yet been told officially about the worth of their contracts. “The board is trying to figure out how Bumrah can be compensated. It is understandable that it will be unfair to slash his fees from Rs 7 crore to Rs 5 crore.ย
“There are some other players also who seem to have moved down a grade despite being performers. There could be a revision in the valuation of the contracts,” a BCCI source said.
Axar Patel’s pay structure also to be discussed
The other name in contention alongside Bumrah’s is of India’s T20I vice-captain Axar Patel. He has been an integral part of the set-up in white-ball cricket and has also been a part of the Test side. He is in Grade C where the renumeration is only Rs 1 crore despite being an active player in all formats.
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