Cricket is a commercial sport once when you make it as your profession, with lots of money packed within it. Nowadays, players earn a lot of money due to a lot of aspects ranging from the Indian Premier League to advertisements. Well, but do you know how much did Kapil Dev's Team India earn in 1983?
In a post tweeted by Makrand Waingankar, the sports journalist has shared a picture of the teamsheet and how they are earning from a match.
The teamsheet is from an ODI exhibition match played between India and Pakistan at the Nehru Stadium, where Kirti Azad won the game with six sixes.
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The BCCI paid each and every player (including team manager) were given Rs 1,500 as the match fee, Rs 200 per day for three days as daily allowance. In total, the money was Rs 2,100 for each player and the manager.
Those days the money was decent enough, but considering how much cricketers get paid, the amount is peanuts when compared to the current situation. Also, it is worth noting that the 1983 India team won the Cricket World Cup in that year.
BCCI currently offers annual contracts to its players. One of the richest sporting bodies in the world, the Indian cricket board offers four grades -- A+, A, B and C. The lowest annual retainer fee (grade C) is Rs 1 crore. Grade A+ is worth 7 crores while A is 5 crore and B is 3 crore. There are only three players in the A+ category -- Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. In 1983, Kapil Dev would certainly have qualified in this group. Over and above the annual retainership, players also get match fees and a substantial amount of allowances. For playing an ODI match, every cricketer gets Rs 6 lakh per game. For a T20 international, it's Rs 3 lakh per match and for playing a Test match, a cricketer is richer by 15 lakh.
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Even domestic first-class cricketers are well paid. They get Rs 35,000 per day for a four-day Ranji Trophy match. All players get a percentage of TV earnings too. On average, a domestic player can earn as much as Rs 3 lakh per game.
