Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to triple the match fees for first-class players playing in the Ranji Trophy.
Gavaskar Backs BCCI
Gavaskar supported the Indian board’s recent announcement of giving incentives to players who play in Tests. He urged the board to also reward the cricketers participating in the feeder competition, which is the Ranji Trophy.
“That is a wonderful thing by the BCCI to reward those who would be playing, but I would also request the BCCI to ensure that the feeder to the Test team, which is the Ranji Trophy, is also looked after.
“If the Ranji Trophy fees can be doubled or tripled, certainly there’ll be a lot more people playing the Ranji Trophy, and a lot less pullouts from the Ranji Trophy because if the fees of playing a Ranji Trophy match are a good fee, there will be fewer people pulling out for various reasons.”
The 74-year-old also agreed with head coach Rahul Dravid’s evaluation of the BCCI’s announcement when it was announced in Dharamsala as more of rewards than incentives. He added that the players will want to play more red-ball cricket if a slab system is in place. A player will get rewarded for every 10 first-class matches and so on.
Longer Gaps Between Ranji Games
The legendary batter also backed the idea of longer gaps between Ranji games, a point that many players have suggested in the recent past. He further suggested that the Indian board should start considering beginning the tournament in October rather than in January. The recent Ranji Trophy games have been held in January lately.
Vijay Hazare Trophy In January
Gavaskar further suggested that the Vijay Hazare trophy, the premier domestic 50-over tournament should be played from January. This will enable players to have plenty of practice for the IPL. Hence, fewer players will opt out of playing domestic cricket.
Test Cricket To Survive
The cricketer-turned-commentator also backed Test Cricket to survive. However, he stated that the five-Test match series between all countries won’t be possible. Only the top teams will participate in such a series and the rest will play two or three-game series alongside T20Is and ODIs.
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Summary
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar urged the BCCI to increase the match fees of Ranji Players. He asked the board to triple what the players are making now. Gavaskar believes that by doing such a thing, players would prioritize red-ball cricket more. He also suggested that the board should shift the Ranji games from January to October. And instead play the Vijay Hazare Trophy in January. This would minimize the number of players opting out of red-ball cricket to start practicing for the IPL.