Salary hike for Indian cricketers? Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni to meet BCCI CoA; here's why

Captain Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and head coach Ravi Shastri will represent the Indian cricket team during their meeting with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Committee of Administrators (CoA) on November 30 in New Delhi as the governing body is expected to finalise annual retainership contracts.

Players' annual contracts expired on September 30 and the team management wanted to meet with the CoA before finalising new contracts, according to The Indian Express. Notably, the Vinod Rai-headed committee will offer advice to the BCCI after hearing the players' concerns.

Salaries of women cricketers and domestic players are also expected to be restructured.

Kohli had demanded raise in salary

Kohli had reportedly expressed his displeasure even after the players' salaries were hiked earlier this year. According to the lastest retainer contracts, salary for Grade A players was hiked from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore, while Grade B players' salary was doubled to Rs 1 crore and Grade C players' salary was fixed at Rs 50 Lakh.

Also read: India ODI, T20 squad for Sri Lanka series: Will BCCI selectors pick Yuvraj Singh?

Citing the stark difference in salaries between Indian cricketers and players in Australia, England and South Africa, Kohli had asked for Rs 5 crore as salary for Grade A, Rs 3 crore for Grade B and Rs 1 crore for Grade C players. Former coach Anil Kumble also backed the Delhi batsman's request and even suggested to cut down categories from three to two.

Players want a share of BCCI's IPL windfall

It has now emerged that the Indian cricketers want a pay hike, especially after the BCCI got richer with Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast deal. Star India, with a bid of Rs 16,347.5 crore, won both the television and digital broadcast rights for the next five editions of the cash-rich league.

Scheduling, Conflict of interest also to be discussed

Apart from the retainership fee, the three cricketers will also be discussing the scheduling of matches as a new Future Tours Program (FTP) for series from 2019 to 2022 will be drafted soon. The players will also seek clarity on Conflict of Interest rules during the meeting.

The discussion over FTP comes after captain Kohli openly expressed his disappointment with hectic scheduling and "cramped" preparation time for away tours. Notably, the Asian giants have been playing non-stop cricket since IPL 10.

Also read: Virat Kohli unhappy over 'cramped' preparation time ahead of South Africa tour

A BCCI official has revealed that the players are unhappy with the board as it has been slotting in cricket series whenever there is a gap in the FTP. Notably, the ongoing Sri Lanka series and the recently-concluded limited over series against New Zealand were added to the calendar in place of a home series against Pakistan.

"Indian board has the habit of putting a series whenever they find a gap in their calendar. Players don't want that and want to discuss it with the CoA," the source said, according to the news report.