BCCI announces 100% raise in monthly pension hours after securing IPL media rights bonanza

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a rise in monthly pensions for former Indian cricketers - both men and women - and match officials.

Secretary Jay Shah also revealed that approximately 900 personnel will be eligible for it and 75% will receive a 100% increment.

Earlier, the BCCI had also announced a prize money of INR 1.25 crore for the curators and groundsmen of the six venues that hosted the IPL 2022 matches. In a tweet, Shah said:

"I'm pleased to announce prize money of INR 1.25 crores for the men who gave us the best games in #TATAIPL 2022. The unsung heroes – our curators and groundsmen across 6 IPL venues this season."

Meanwhile, the Indian cricket board enjoyed a highly productive day when it came to selling television and digital rights for the next four years of the IPL.

The figures for TV and digital rights came down to a whopping INR 39,775 crore on Monday, the second day of the IPL rights e-auction.

ESPNcricinfo reported that Package A, which included the TV rights for the Indian subcontinent, was INR 57.5 crore per game, while Package B, the digital rights, attracted INR 50 crore.

The per-match value of an IPL fixture has seen a 98% rise. Star India, which paid INR 54.23 crore for the 2018-2022 cycle, has now decided to increase it to INR 107.5 crore ($13.78 million approx).

Hence, based on 74 games per edition for the next five years, the new TV rights package is INR 21,275 crores, while the digital rights are INR 18,500 crore. The value per game has put the lucrative tournament amongst the highest-ranked sports leagues of all time, notably the National Football League and English Premier League (EPL).

Below are the details of the increased pension payment:

Sr. No	Existing pension per month (Rs.)	Increased Pension per month (Rs.)
1	Rs. 15000	Rs. 30000
2	Rs. 22500	Rs. 45000
3	Rs. 30000	Rs. 52500
4	Rs. 37500	Rs. 60000
5	Rs. 50000	Rs. 70000

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"The welfare of our cricketers be it former or present is a top priority" - BCCI Secretary

Shah claimed that the welfare of cricketers and umpires is a top priority and the step is towards expressing their gratitude. As quoted by BCCI, he said in a statement:

"The welfare of our cricketers be it former or present is a top priority, and increasing pension amounts is a step in that direction. The BCCI values the contribution the umpires have made over the years and this is one way to express our gratitude for their diligent services to Indian Cricket. A total of around 900 personnel will get the benefit of the scheme with more than 75% of the beneficiaries getting a 100 % raise.”

The names of the winners are yet to be announced and shall be done after the rights deal of Package C are sold.