'Won't let anyone suffer in tough times' - BCCI clears dues of contracted players without any pay cut
BCCI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has cleared the quarterly due of all the centrally contracted players, without any pay cuts, while vowing to not let anyone suffer despite the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to financial disruption in many countries.A BCCI official has said that the BCCI was ready for any sort of uncertainty while adding the apex board has also cleared the match fees of the senior Indian team and India A players.
Cricket boards like England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA) have hinted that their players will have to take pay cuts.
"Despite lockdown being announced from March 24, the BCCI was ready for any kind of eventuality. The board clears quarterly installments of central contract payments to its players," a BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
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"Plus the match fees of all those who played for India and India A during this period, all these dues were cleared at the end of the financial year," he added.
The players of England and Australian cricket team have openly talked about pay cuts and how it can help cricket boards survive the situation surrounding COVD-19. However, the BCCI official said that Indian board is capable of taking good care of their players.
"One cricket board has put its players on furlough (government assistance scheme). There are talks about pay cuts everywhere. But I believe BCCI is capable of taking good care of its players as it has been all these years.
"Neither our international nor our domestic cricketers will suffer," the official said.
However, the BCCI official agreed that the conduction of IPL 2020 is a necessity given the financial hit all the stakeholders have to bear if the event is cancelled.
"The situation is fluid right now. It can't be said that it will be September when Asia Cup and home series against England is scheduled or October, when World T20 is supposed to take place.
"If you don't know when normalcy will return, how can you say that when will IPL happen," he said.