Mumbai Cricket Association to match BCCI's domestic fees from 2024-25 season

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced that it will match BCCI’s existing match fee in domestic cricket for its senior team players from the upcoming 2024-25 season. The move comes as a bid to incentivise the domestic cricket competitions for players amid recent controversy over players opting for lucrative T20 leagues, such as the IPL, instead of red ball cricket.

The proposal to match the BCCI’s domestic fee was put forth by MCA president Amol Kale, which was unanimously accepted by state unit’s apex council.

“MCA will be paying additional match fees per Ranji Trophy game to each player from next season onwards. We felt that the players should earn more, especially those who play Ranji Trophy cricket,” Kale said on Saturday.

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“For us, red-ball cricket matters the most as Ranji Trophy holds a special place for everyone in Mumbai,” he added.

The announcement comes after Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy title for a record-extending 42nd time. Notably, the MCA had also matched BCCI’s prize money of Rs 5 crore after the title.

“By aligning with BCCI’s fees and providing additional support, apex council aim to create a conducive environment for young cricketers to excel and hone their skills,” MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik said.

BCCI had revised the match-fee structure for First-Class cricket in 2021 to Rs 40,000 per day for 1-20 matches, Rs 50,000 for 21-40 matches and Rs 60,000 for 50 or more matches. So a player, who used to earn Rs 2.40 lakh per Ranji match will now get Rs 4.80 lakh from next season.

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The move will not only push players into playing domestic cricket but also benefit those who don’t have lucrative IPL contracts such as Mumbai opener Bhupen Lalwani.

Lalwani, who played 10 games and finished as Mumbai’s highest run-scorer with 588 runs in the Ranji Trophy, would earn double the money compared to the 2023-24 season, in which he got Rs 17.20 lakh.