BCCI to punish Rohit, Kohli and others, underperforming stars to face financial blow

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) conducted a review meeting on January 11 in Mumbai to assess India’s performance in the five-match Test series against Australia. The BCCI is considering introducing a corporate-style performance-based variable pay system, as per a report by the Indian Express.

Team India suffered a 1-3 Test series defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Notably, it was the Men in Blue's first Test series loss to Australia since 2014-15. India was also eliminated from contention for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final, set to be played in June.

BCCI Set to Introduce Corporate-Style Performance-Based Variable Pay – Report

Captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar attended a review meeting. During the discussions, a proposal was suggested to introduce a performance-based variable pay structure for players.

This system would hold players more accountable for their performances, with potential pay cuts if their contributions are deemed subpar. The idea is inspired by corporate appraisal systems that evaluate employee performance. The goal of this move is to incentivize consistent and high-quality performances.

“It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable, and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay cuts," a source was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

BCCI Introduced Incentive System for Players Last Year

Last year, the BCCI introduced an incentive system aimed at encouraging players to participate more in Test cricket. According to this system, players who feature in more than 50% of Tests in a season since 2022-23 are rewarded with Rs 30 lakh per game.

The payout increases to Rs 45 lakh per game for those who play at least 75% of the matches in a season. This incentive was part of a Rs 40-crore fund introduced by the board to promote Test cricket, especially at a time when the T20 format and the IPL have gained significant popularity.

In the meeting, BCCI officials expressed concern over some players' lack of focus and commitment to Test cricket. There was a discussion about whether the players seemed indifferent to India's losses in Test matches.

“There was discussion whether the current players were a bit indifferent when India loses a Test match. The team management understands the value of Test cricket, but many players don’t give too much importance to it," the source said.

India Won Only Three of Their 10 Test Matches

India's recent performance in Test cricket has been disappointing. Before the Australia series, India suffered a 0-3 whitewash by New Zealand at home, ending a 12-year, 18-series winning streak.

India won only three of their 10 Test matches and, for the first time in history, lost a Test series at home to New Zealand. In the five-match Test series against Australia, India initially took a 1-0 lead with a dominant 295-run win, but they lost three of the next four matches, ending the series with a 1-3 defeat.

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