Search This Blog

BCCI overpaying Indian Cricketers?

Indian Cricket team is back after their victorious tour of Australia and was given a royal welcome by BCCI at Ferozshah Kotla stadium yesterday. They deserve a warm welcome for what they have achieved down under. But what has been little disturbing for me is the amount of money that is being offered to these cricketers. BCCI has annoucned a special gift of Rs10 crore to the team which roughly translates into Rs60 lakhs for each individual. I am not sure if we need to pamper the cricketers with so much of money for a tri-series victory.

It is not as if the cricketers were not paid anything before this Rs10 crores largesse from BCCI. For every test match and one-day match played by an Indian Cricketer, he gets paid in lakhs. In addition to that he gets his daily allowance during the tours. I think that itself is a fair deal for the cricketers. This bonus announcement to Indian cricketers comes within days of IPL auction where every cricketer has made a killing.

The usual argument putforth justifying high pay-outs to cricketers is that their earning period is short and they have make the most out of it. I dont think players need to feel insecure after BCCI introduced the grading system where annual payments are guaranteed and pensions are offered to the retired cricketers.

As BCCI makes huge profits by selling cricket and cricketers and as a responsible corporate citizen of the country, I think BCCI should set-aside money for the following:
1. Atleast 20% of the Net earnings towards Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, which benefits the society at large. Because it the public who pays directly or indirectly for watching cricket.
2. Spend money in building world-class specatator amenities in all the cricket stadiums. The present facilities to spectators are awful to say the least. There is no sun-shade for the spectators who has sit in the sun the whole day to watch the game.
3. They can take responsibility for maintaining the civic amenities in and around the cricket stadiums in all locations so that Government doesnt need to spend money.

If you know of concrete initiatives which are being taken by BCCI in this regard, please share it here so that I and others can know of those things.

I wish BCCI goes public so that I can buy into it. A company with abundant cash flows, a screaming buy in any market!!!

No comments: