The BCCI secretary Jay Shah, has introduced the "Test Cricket Incentive Scheme", effective from the 2022-23 season, for players to prioritise Test Cricket, participate in red-ball matches and play the longest format of thegame for the country.
Jay Shah took to X, and shared “I am pleased to announce the initiation of the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' for Senior Men, a step aimed at providing financial growth and stability to our esteemed athletes.”
“Commencing from the 2022-23 season, the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' will serve as an additional reward structure on top of the existing match fee for Test matches, set at INR 15 lakhs,” Shah added.
What’s the New Scheme?
The new scheme will benefit the ones who are regular in India's Test squad and XI. As per the scheme, the cricketers who stay fit and available for more than 50% of India's Test matches in a year, would get an additional ₹15 lakh per Test for being a part of the squad. The ones playing in XI, more than 50% of India's Test matches in a year would get ₹30 lakh per match.
The amount increases further if a cricketer is part of more than 75% of India's Test matches in a year. The ones in the squad would earn ₹22.5 lakh per Test and the ones in the XI would get ₹45 lakh per Test.
A Test player, who appears in a possible 10 Tests in a season will be richer by a whopping ₹4.50 crore as incentive apart from a possible ₹1.5 crore (₹15 lakh per game) in usual match fee.
The top cricketers also get an assured retainer fee from their annual central contract. Notably, the money that will be offered in the Test Cricket Incentive Scheme will be in addition to the match fees
If Test regulars like captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and R Ashwin play at least 7 Tests in a year where India plays 9, then the have a chance of earning ₹3.15 crore additionally apart from the regular Test-match fees of ₹15 lakh per match.
Why was this decision taken?
The board has taken this decision to preserve and value the game's original format. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become more popular among players than red-ball cricket, hence the board has recently encouraged players to play more Test cricket, whether it be at the national or international level. Recently, few players, including Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Deepak Chahar, chose to practise with their IPL clubs instead of playing Ranji Trophy cricket.
Jay Shah stated earlier in February that there is a trend that has begun to emerge as some players have started to value the IPL more than local cricket, this should be taken seriously. He emphasised that Indian cricket has always been built on domestic cricket, which has never been underestimated in our vision for the game. The board's initial goal was for anyone who wanted to play for India to first play domestic cricket.
He added, "It is essential to recognise that domestic cricket forms the backbone of Indian cricket and serves as the feeder line to Team India. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the outset - every cricketer aspiring to play for India must prove themselves in domestic cricket. Performance in domestic tournaments remains a critical yardstick for selection, and non-participation in domestic cricket will carry severe implications.”
Head coach Rahul Dravid welcomed the move from BCCI and termed it as a reward for playing the toughest format.“Hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket. It is nice to see that it is a recognition that it is a hard format. Nice that the BCCI is recognising that. It is a reward not an incentive.”
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