New Delhi, India

With less than a week to go for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, the eyes of the cricketing fraternity and fans are on the big-name players as they get ready to raise the bar. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been praised for its effort to host the IPL in the nation despite the ongoing buzz of the general elections. Besides, the BCCI has also earned a lot of praise for its role in safeguarding domestic cricket with its recent initiatives. Here we decode the BCCI’s policy of safeguarding domestic cricket and why was it necessary to do so.

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Indian domestic cricket and how it works

Indian domestic cricket is divided into three formats like the international format with state teams being the primary participants. Apart from state teams, zonal and railways have also participated in the domestic cricket of India where they compete in the red-ball and white-ball formats. The red-ball or first-class format is represented by Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy while the white-ball format is represented by Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (ODI).

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While there are no qualification criteria for the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, only the winners of Ranji Trophy qualify for the Irani Trophy and play against the rest of India.

Why did the BCCI need to safeguard domestic cricket?

Considered one of the oldest cricket tournaments, the Ranji Trophy remains the benchmark for domestic cricket which spreads over 4-5 months. However, in recent years, Ranji Trophy matches and other tournaments have not attracted a big fan base. Stadiums are generally empty which contributes to a lack of income from ticket sales. Also TV channels are hesitant to splash the cash for broadcasting and live stream the competitions which again have contributed to the lack of funds.

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The low capital output has limited the salaries of players and coaching staff which makes the tournament less lucrative when compared to IPL. Also, sponsors are hesitant to invest in domestic cricket as it attracts less viewership, both on and off the field.

The above reasons have seen players and big-name coaches turn their backs on the competition. To compare, India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has not played a first-class match since December 2018, that is more than five years ago. Ishan Kishan, another player part of India’s ODI World Cup squad during their run to the final, also opted to focus on IPL and skip the Ranji Trophy season for Jharkhand, raising serious doubts on the future of domestic cricket in India. This is where the BCCI needed to step in to protect the domestic  cricket which serves opportunities to budding cricketers for showcasing their talent.

How is BCCI safeguarding domestic cricket?

Earlier this month, the BCCI announced that those who play 75 per cent of India's Tests in a season will earn $54,000 (INR 45 lakh) per Test, and those who play 50 to 75 per cent of Tests will earn $36,000 (INR 30 lakh). This is in addition to the match fee of $18,000 (INR 15 lakh). According to reports, a similar approach is being proposed for domestic cricket which will see players earn more during a domestic season and hence encourage them to prioritise it.

Currently, a player earns around $2400 (INR 2 lakh) per match in the Ranji Trophy. If he plays every match in the season and his team makes it to the final, he ends up with ten games. The match fee for the Vijay Hazare Trophy is $600 (INR 50,000) and for the Syed Mushtaq Ali $211 (INR 17,500). Considering what players earn during the IPL, this small amount has discouraged big-name players from competing in the tournament. However, an increase in pay from BCCI is likely to bring back the glory days of domestic cricket.

Also, the BCCI has now made it mandatory for players contracted to the board to compete in the domestic format if they are not available for selection for the national side. Recently, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were dropped from the central contracts having refused to compete for both national and domestic sides despite being passed fit by the National Cricket Association (NCA) in Bengaluru.

Further, the board has now created a three-member committee to boost men's domestic cricket in the nation. The committee comprises national men’s team coach Rahul Dravid, NCA head VVS Laxman and national men’s team selector Ajit Agarkar.

ALSO READ | Explained: What to watch out for in each team during IPL 2024 season

IPL vs Domestic Cricket

The biggest issue with the current system is the lack of pay parity in Indian cricket. For example, Rinku Singh, uncapped during the IPL 2023 for India was reported to have earned a whopping amount in just eight weeks for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, had he played the entire season of Ranji Trophy he would have pocketed not more than $50,000. The players also get better hospitality during the IPL where they travel on flights and stay in seven-star hotels, compared to Ranji Trophy tournaments where players are often seen travelling by train and staying in three-star hotels.

Players are also exposed to more glamour and on-screen popularity during the IPL which does not exist during the domestic tournaments. This has resulted in players showing their back to the domestic tournaments.

However, it will be interesting to see how the BCCI now deals with the situation as they try to implement a new solution to increase the popularity of the domestic formats.