Mumbai Cricket Association to top BCCI's match fee with equal amount for its players

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Saturday announced that it will top up BCCI's existing match fee in domestic cricket by equal amount for its senior team players from the upcoming 2024-25 season, president Amol Kale said on Saturday.

The initiative aims to promote the importance of Ranji Trophy and ‘fostering the growth of red-ball cricket in MCA’s jurisdiction’, the governing body said.

The proposal to match the BCCI's domestic fee was put forth by MCA president Kale, which was unanimously accepted by state unit's apex council.

"MCA will be paying additional match fees per Ranji Trophy game to each player from next season onwards. We felt that the players should earn more, especially those who play Ranji Trophy cricket," Kale said.

"For us, red-ball cricket matters the most as Ranji Trophy holds a special place for everyone in Mumbai," he added.

The announcement comes a little over a week after Mumbai won India’s premier domestic competition Ranji Trophy for a record-extending 42nd time.

Notably, the MCA had also matched BCCI’s prize money of Rs 5 crore after Mumbai’s win.

"By aligning with BCCI's fees and providing additional support, apex council aim to create a conducive environment for young cricketers to excel and hone their skills,” MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik said.

The BCCI had revised the match-fee structure for First-Class cricket in 2021 to Rs 40,000 per day for 1-20 matches, Rs 50,000 for 21-40 matches and Rs 60,000 for 50 or more matches.

So a player, who gets Rs 2.40 lakh per Ranji match will now get Rs 4.80 lakh from next season.

While the move will boost the earning for the Mumbai players, it would especially benefit those such as Mumbai opener Bhupen Lalwani, who ply their trade in domestic circuit and do not have lucrative IPL contracts as yet.

Lalwani, who played 10 games and finished as Mumbai’s highest run-scorer with 588 runs in the last Ranji Trophy season, would earn double the money compared to the 2023-24 season, in which he got Rs 17.20 lakh.