BCCI to Increase Salaries for Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly planning to revise the central contracts for premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Axar Patel. According to reports from board officials, the move is aimed at addressing salary discrepancies that arose during the last contract cycle. Despite being pivotal to the team's success in various formats, both players faced a relative stagnation or reduction in their annual retainership fees. The BCCI is now looking for administrative avenues to ensure that these key assets are compensated fairly according to their current standing in world cricket.

Adjustment in Jasprit Bumrah's Retainership

According to reports, the BCCI is specifically looking into the contract of Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently placed in the 'Grade A' category. Under this grade, Bumrah receives an annual salary of ₹5 crore. Previously, the pacer was part of the 'Grade A+' category, which entitled him to ₹7 crore annually. Sources indicate that the board is of the opinion that a player of Bumrah's caliber and impact shouldn't face a reduction in pay. An official stated that the board is working on a resolution to provide Bumrah with the remuneration he deserves, potentially through a restructuring of the existing grade system.

Axar Patel's Promotion from Grade C

Axar Patel, who has been a consistent performer and currently serves as the vice-captain of the T20I squad, is currently positioned in 'Grade C'. This category carries an annual retainership of ₹1 crore. Given his significant contributions to India's victories in the T20 World Cup and other major assignments, there has been a growing consensus within the board and among cricket experts that his current pay grade isn't reflective of his value. Reports suggest that the BCCI is likely to promote him to a higher grade, which would result in a substantial increase in his annual earnings.

Current Structure of BCCI Central Contracts

The existing BCCI central contract list categorizes players into three primary tiers. Grade A features players like Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Grade B includes senior players and regular starters such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, and Washington Sundar, while grade C consists of a larger group of players, including Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Rationale Behind the Proposed Contract Revisions

The discussion regarding salary hikes is driven by the need to maintain a fair incentive structure for top-performing athletes. According to officials, the salary reductions for certain players were a result of the reclassification of grades and technical adjustments in the contract policy. The BCCI is now aiming to refine this process to ensure that performance in high-stakes international tournaments is directly reflected in the central contracts, while the proposed changes for Bumrah and Patel are expected to set a precedent for future contract reviews, ensuring that financial rewards remain aligned with on-field excellence and player seniority.