By Golandaaz
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that all cricketers selected to play for India will get a 'hardship allowance' to cover for the inconvenience it may cause them for having to play any cricket outside of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Published: Jul 24, 2012, 12:42 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 24, 2012, 12:42 PM (IST)
© Getty Images
By Golandaaz
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that all cricketers selected to play for India will get a ‘hardship allowance’ to cover for the inconvenience it may cause them for having to play any cricket outside of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
What is most generous about this new compensation announcement and something bound to ‘warm the cockles of the heart’ of domestic cricket fans is that this allowance is extended to even players who are forced to play in the Ranji Trophy much against their dream of only playing the IPL.
Explaining the latest bout of generosity from the BCCI, N Srinivasan, owner of the Chennai Super Kings and the president of the BCCI said: “It tears my heart to see our young and budding entertainers like Sachin Tendulkar who are forced to play for India purely as cricketers when there are millions to be made by playing private leagues across the world. We believe no amount of money can compensate for the sacrifices these brave hearts make. This is a small gesture from the BCCI.”
His words seem to suggest that the BCCI will now allow Indian players to play in Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. However he was non-committal about that. “As far as we are concerned no leagues like the IPL exist. We are yet to receive any thing in writing,” he said.
Initial feedback from the players however was discouraging. While no one was willing to speak ‘for the record’, it is understood that unless the allowance was greater than the IPL contract values, it is unlikely to create any incentive for players to sign up for the inhumane, arduous and extreme effort fullness of playing for ones country.
Meanwhile Statsguru, ESPN cricinfo’s engine for all sorts of statistics will launch a new version of their engine for India‘s cricketers. Fans can now track earnings of players from all countries – both home and away.
NB: The above article is pure fiction.
(Golandaaz is a blogger @Opinions on Cricket and likes to see the humorous side of the game. He often sketches cricketers in black and white. You can follow Golandaaz his blog on Twitter @oponcrFacebook/Opinions on Cricket)
