Financial disparity among cricketers: Lack of jobs hurting talented players at domestic/club level

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There is a huge income disparity not only in the country but also among cricketers in India. At one level, there is a huge amount of money that few players earn through the IPL and domestic competitions. On the other hand, many domestic cricketers face significant challenges, including unemployment, as nationalized banks and public sector undertakings, in almost two decades, have stopped offering jobs and stipends to talented and budding cricketers. These institutions, which once provided crucial support, now see cricketers as liabilities and have put an end to recruitment of sportspersons. The only exception being the Railways, Income-Tax and some oil companies.

Those who remain involved in cricket in various capacities often have to go on leave without pay. The plight of former domestic cricketers is dire. Some have taken voluntary retirement and are now running their own businesses or looking for other opportunities to make ends meet.

On the other hand, top Indian cricketers who hold jobs often take them lightly. They don’t worry about being sacked or engaging with their employers because they don’t value these jobs but continue to hang on to them. One such narrative has come to light: a top Indian cricketer who hasn’t visited his office in over a decade still draws a salary equivalent to a regular employee, claims petrol bills from his company, and yet faces no consequences.

When the management attempts to issue a show-cause notice, it ends up being a mere formality, often discarded without action. Such cricketers have strong connections with top leaders in the country, making their bosses hesitant to address the issue.

As a result, many companies have stopped recruiting cricketers, except for a few oil companies. Office teams across India have become defunct, not participating in premier competitions and failing to recruit new cricketers, even though some still run clubs in state leagues but don’t have regular employees in the playing squad. This lack of recruitment is detrimental to premier club cricketers who struggle to make it into the Ranji Trophy team.

The responsibility also lies with top cricketers to leave behind a positive legacy rather than challenging their offices. The current trend is destroying the long-standing practice where Indian cricketers were employed by banks or oil companies, providing them with financial security. If this practice of not recruiting cricketers continues, it will become increasingly difficult for upcoming talent to sustain themselves financially, ultimately hurting the development of cricket in India at the state levels.