BCCI announces incentives for India test cricketers following 4-1 test series win against England

This move came after BCCI announced the annual central contracts for 2023-24.

In the last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken some hard steps to keep test cricket alive in India. BCCI secretary Jay Shah had also underlined the importance of playing the longest format and also encouraged Indian cricketers to play domestic tournaments. The board also instructed the senior players to take part in Indian domestic cricket tournaments when they are not on their national duties.

While announcing the central contracts for 2023-24, the BCCI left out regular cricketers Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan after they didn’t follow the board’s instructions to play in Indian domestic cricket tournaments while they were away from national duty. Many former Indian cricketers showed support towards BCCI’s decision, while some felt it was a bit harsh on both of the players.

Soon after India crushed England in the final game of the five-match test series at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, BCCI secretary Jay Shah dropped another surprise for the Indian test cricketers.

The board’s secretary took a positive step towards the longest format where he decided to give incentives to Indian test cricketers. This big move aims to ensure that Indian players will be involved in test cricket and also it will keep the purest and longest form of cricket alive.

“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,” tweeted Shah on Saturday, March 9.

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… pic.twitter.com/Rf86sAnmuk

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) March 9, 2024

What is BCCI’s New ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’?

As per the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme,’ Indian men’s test cricketers will get extra remuneration apart from the existing match fees which they receive. Currently, Indian cricketers earn 15 lakhs per test match if they are part of the playing XI and earn 7.5 lakhs if they are part of the squad and are not included in playing XI.

According to the newly introduced incentive scheme, if a player isn’t part of 50% of the test matches India play in a season (from 1st October to 30th September), he will be not eligible for the incentives.

However, if a player is part of more than 50% of the test matches India play in a season, the player will be eligible to earn incentive of 30 lakhs per match if included in playing XI and 15 lakhs per match if the player is member of the squad and not part of the playing XI.

If a player is part of more than 75% of the test matches India play in a season, the player will be eligible to earn incentive of 45 lakhs per match if included in playing XI and 22.5 lakhs per match if the player is member of the squad and not part of the playing XI.

For example, assuming India play a total of nine matches in the entire season, and a player is part of only four matches (less than 50% of matches), he will not be eligible to earn incentives. If a player is part of 5 or 6 matches out of 9 in the season (more than 50% of the matches), the player will be eligible to earn incentives. The player will earn 30 lakhs if he’s part of the playing XI and 15 lakhs if he is part of the squad and not playing XI.

If a player plays 7 or more matches out of 9 in the season (more than 75% of the matches), the player will be eligible to earn incentive of 45 lakhs per match if included in the playing XI and 22.5 lakhs per match if he’s member of the squad and not the playing XI.

BCCI’s big step to promote test cricket came in the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where the young Indian cricketers were prioritising cash-rich league instead of test cricket. The new move by the BCCI will motivate players to take more part in test cricket.

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