BeyondHeadlines Sports Desk
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has rejected an informal demand from the top Indian cricketers to reward them Rs 5 crore instead of Rs 1 crore for their World Cup victory.
Immediately after India’s World Cup win on April 2, BCCI president Shashank Manohar had announced the decision to reward the members of the Cup winning team with Rs 1 crore each. He also pledged that the support staffs would get Rs 50 lakh each.
But a couple of days later some leading Indian players requested the board to increase the amount, a BCCI official said.
“If you see, only the top players benefit, and there is no doubt that we earn more than anybody, but what about players like Munaf Patel and others? These players make the Indian team and the BCCI earns so much because of them,” a leading newspaper quoted a top Indian player as saying.
“We are not greedy for the money. But these (junior) players have made the BCCI rich and famous. There is no harm in asking for more especially since the Board will earn thousands of crores after India’s victory. A player’s life is very uncertain. Who knows what will happen next?”
The players also think that some members of the support staff might have got too much for doing very little. “Gary (Kirsten) and Paddy (Upton) getting Rs 50 lakh is fine. But even the logistics manager getting Rs 50 lakh? By that yardstick we should be getting more,” said the player.
However, a member of the BCCI feels that the reward given by the board is more than enough, “Do you think these players really need to be given so much money? One crore is not a small amount.”
