PCB announces mega pay raise for domestic cricketers

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has bumped up the pay structure of its domestic season significantly, with its top category cricketers standing to earn as much as Rs3.2 million over the course of the season, which includes a monthly retainer of Rs150,000.

The board, in a press release, gave a breakdown of its revised payment policy for the upcoming 2020-21 season, showing how the A+ category players are set for a bumper 83% appraisal over their earnings last year.

Even the lowest category (D) players will take home a pay packet that is 7% higher than the 2019-20 season, the board added.

“With each of the 10 A+ category players to receive Rs150,000 as monthly retainer for 12 months and a match fee of Rs40,000 for National T20 Cup and Pakistan Cup each, and Rs60,000 for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, players maintaining and displaying high levels of professionalism throughout the season will earn Rs3.2m,” the press release said.

The players can take home an even higher paycheck if they can “increase their earnings if they reach the finals, which will guarantee them additional match fee as well as share in the prize moneys”.

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“Monthly retainer of D category is Rs40,000 but they will get the same match fee as the highest category player. It means any D category player who features in all the 30 First XI league matches will earn Rs1.8m.

For comparison, the PCB explained that “last year, all the domestic contracted First XI players had received a flat monthly retainer of Rs50,000 and match fee of Rs40,000 for white-ball cricket and Rs75,000 for red-ball cricket.”

PCB’s Director - High Performance, Nadeem Khan, explained that the raise is part of the board’s long-term policy and hoped that it would incentivise domestic cricketers to try harder.

“The PCB is aware that Pakistan cricketers are not the highest-paid in the world, but it is our endeavour to slowly and gradually improve their contracts so that they can get best returns for their talent and also plan their futures,” he is quoted as saying in the PCB press release.

“The PCB generates its funds and revenues through cricket and it is appropriate that a large chunk of these funds are reinvested into development and cricketers.”

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