BCCI To Introduce Pay Cuts For Underperforming Players After India's Test Series Loss
In a crucial review meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday, Team India's performance was reviewed after a tragic loss against Australia in the five-match Test series. The meeting lasted for almost two hours, during which many crucial steps and decisions were taken on players performance in the near future.
According to the latest reports, one decision that caught everyone's attention was the introduction of a pay structure for players based on their performance. With this decision, players will be more accountable towards their game, and if necessary, their pay will be cut if their performance is not up to a mark.
If sources are to be believed, then if these things get followed in the system, then the impact of these things will be seen directly on players salaries if they do not perform accordingly.
"It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable, and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay cuts."
The BCCI introduced an incentive system for its Test players last year which states that players who get featured in more than 50% of Tests since 2022-23 would receive an incentive of Rs 30 lakh per game. The pay increases to Rs 45 lakh for players if they get featured in at least 75% of matches in a season. This was all done to encourage players to be attracted towards Rell Ball cricket, as at that time T20 cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL) were becoming very attractive.
One of the foremost topics that was discussed in the meeting was that some players were giving less importance to Test cricket while preferring white-ball cricket. The management feels that the board should address this issue so that the upcoming generation focuses on Test cricket.
Sources said,
"There was discussion whether the current players were a bit indifferent when India lost a Test match. The team management understands the value of Test cricket, but many players don't give too much importance to it."
Team India faced a lot of backlash in Test cricket last year, getting whitewashed by New Zealand at home, which ended a winning streak of over 12 years, and recently lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.