World T20: BCCI incentive for Men in Blue six times more than ICC prize money

It’s raining money for the members of the Indian cricket team, coaches and support staff – as well as the selectors – who were a part of the Men in Blue winning the ICC T20 World Cup in Barbados on Saturday, 29 June.

The official figures released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) says the champions will take home a purse of Rs 20.42 crores ($ 2.45 million), runners-up South Africa will receive Rs 10.6 cores ($ 1.28m).  England and Afghanistan, the two losing semi-finalists, will receive Rs 6.56 crores each ($ 787, 500).

The catch, however, lies elsewhere. The BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who hogged the limelight in equal measure with the Rohit Sharmas and Virat Kohlis after the final, announced at the venue itself that a whopping sum of Rs 125 crores will be shared an incentive – part of the spoils going to the selectors as well. A figure which is six times more than what the ICC purse is on offer for the champions, underlining the financial might of the Indian board yet again.

While it’s the call of the BCCI, the richest cricket body in the world, to decide on the amount of bonus for the players and coaches – it is expected to leave a large section of the cricketing community slighted for the unequal distribution of revenue in the game.

Recent figures released by ESPN Cricinfo show that India are set to earn to the tune of $ 231 million, nearly 40% of ICC’s surplus earnings projected from surplus earnings in the next four-year cycle. England and Australia, the second and third teams in the table, are projected to receive $ 41.33 m and $ 37.53 million, which amounts to 6.89% and 6.25% of the pie, respectively.

Meanwhile, Team India has been left stranded in Barbados due to Hurricane Beryl which has now turned into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm. The storm will was expected to pass by Barbados on Sunday night local time while the Indian cricket team was to take flight on Monday morning local time for New York. However, the closure of the airport in Barbados has forced Team India and their family members to stay back at the Hilton Hotel.

The BCCI officials, including Shah, are also in Barbados with the team in the same hotel and they are planning to get a charter direct to Delhi – though it will not be possible as long as the airport stays closed. Any announcement on the felicitation of the squad hence will have to wait till the team’s return.