The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced a 100% pay raise for its senior men’s team from the 2024-25 season to incentivise its efforts on the field going forward.

The decision was finalised during an apex council meeting of the MCA. The meeting witnessed an agreement over a recommendation for the association to match the players’ earnings that they receive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

How will the ground-breaking decision bring a change in the earnings of the MCA players?

The historic announcement made by the MCA will double the pay of a player for a season. Notably, the apex cricket governing body in India has divided the pay slab at the senior men’s level into three different categories.

The players with 40-plus first-class games earn INR 60,000 per day, whereas the ones with experience between 21-40 first-class fixtures get paid INR 50,000 daily. The third category involves the least experienced players – the ones with less than 20 caps.

All the players in the third category earn INR 40,000 per day.

“We felt that the player should earn more, especially those who play Ranji Trophy cricket. For us red-ball cricket matters the most as the Ranji Trophy holds a special place for everyone in Mumbai,” MCA president Amol Kale was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Earlier, the BCCI Secretary Jay Shah announced a “Test Cricket Incentive Scheme” to reward the India cricketers who prioritise the longest format of the game for the country. The announcement has made playing the red-ball format for India more rewarding.

Shah made the announcement after India’s 4-1 series over England. “I am pleased to announce the initiation of the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’ for Senior Men, a step aimed at providing financial growth and stability to our esteemed athletes. Commencing from the 2022-23 season, the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’ will serve as an additional reward structure on top of the existing match fee for Test matches, set at INR 15 lakhs,” read Jay Shah’s historic announcement.