Chennai: The BCCI is not sitting on “pots of money” as is being made out and it shares revenue with players and state associations for promoting the sport, new ICC Chairman N Srinivasan said on Tuesday.
“BCCI is often much misunderstood. You really do not hear what BCCI has done. It has generated more revenue from 2004 and it has ensured returns for all its state members. 25 state members share the money generated through media rights and sponsors,” he said here.
Srinivasan, who was asked to step down as BCCI President by the Supreme Court pending a probe into alleged corruption in the Indian Premier League, was speaking at a felicitation function on his election as the new head of the International Cricket Council.
Noting that 26 percent of money from the total revenue was given to players both at the international and domestic level, he said: “There are a lot of comments that the BCCI is sitting over pots of money. No, It is not. Very clearly, BCCI is a not for profit organisation.”
Elaborating, he said an average Ranji Trophy player who was earning mere “hundreds” in the past, earns around Rs 35,000 a day, making cricket a viable career option.
Srinivasan, who was at the helm of the board for several years, claimed the BCCI had recognised all its players and provides pensions to former cricketers and umpires. “BCCI has done it without fanfare and looked into it on its own.”
BCCI was giving a grant of Rs 50 crore to each of the state associations, he said adding with this cricket academy had been set up in various places like Rajkhot, Ranchi, Pune.
“The focus is not only on the cricket but also all that surrounds the game, such as the infrastructure, and spectators,” he said. (PTI)
