BCCI: It has been three months since the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and over a month since the Vijay Hazare Trophy but over 400 umpires, scorers, and match officials who were part of the tournaments are yet to be paid by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This comes at a time when the cash-rich governing body is conducting the second Indian Premier League (IPL) in six months and successfully organizing the England series that included four Tests, five T20Is and three ODIs.
The Indian domestic cricket season began in January with Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s and it was followed by Vijay Hazare Trophy in February while Ranji Trophy was scrapped for the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of domestic matches in 2020 due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions already hurt the cricketers, umpires and match officials but with non-payment of dues, the situation has got worse for them.
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An umpire, who officiated in both Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare, told the New Indian Express that they usually get their dues within 15 days after the tournament but this time, it has been more than two months. BCCI ask officials to submit their bills within three days of a tournament’s competition.
“We usually get the payments within 15 days of completing the assignment. But two months have passed since the Mushtaq Ali tournament finished and we haven’t received any money yet,” the umpire said.
Apart from match officials, players, who only play Ranji Trophy for their states, also did not get their promised compensation package. While the pandemic definitely impacted BCCI’s revenue, it is not cash-strapped as the body earned approximately Rs 4,000 crore from IPL 2020 alone despite the tournament being conducted in the UAE.
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Rather, the reason is the absence of a General Manager for Cricket Operations. After Saba Karim quit last year, BCCI is yet to appoint someone for the job. The other General Manager, KVP Rao, who was assigned to look after match officials and umpires, was also asked to step down last year.
The void in management has left many waiting for their dues. Some of the players, umpires and match officials haven’t received their payment since March 2020, making it difficult for those who do not have another job.
In December, BCCI at its AGM said that it will form a working group to assess the compensation package for those involved in domestic cricketing activities. But the working group is yet to be formed and the players and match officials are yet to earn their dues. “Once a working group is formed, things will fall in place. But so far there hasn’t been any talk on this too,” a state official told TNIE.
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