Cheteshwar Pujara has to make do with his Grade A retainership of Rs 2 crore plus his match fees. This is where the non-complaining Saurashtra batsman found a big supporter in former India captain Ravi Shastri.
India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara may have amassed 1,316 runs in a single season to be second in the all-time record behind Australia’s Ricky Ponting. Yet, he does not have an IPL contract.
The 29-year-old has always expressed his keenness to play T20 cricket but the franchises have gone for those who could score at a quicker pace and who are quick in the field. Pujara has been working on his fitness and fielding while also accelerating the scoring rate in whatever T20 he plays for his employers or for his state Saurashtra.
Missing out on IPL contract also means missing out on the extra money that his other India team-mates may be earning. Pujara has to make do with his Grade A retainership of Rs 2 crore plus his match fees. This is where the non-complaining Saurashtra batsman found a big supporter in former India captain Ravi Shastri.
Shastri said on Monday that the Grade A retainership of Rs 2 crore paid by the Board of Control for Cricket in India “is nothing”.
Speaking on the sidelines of an announcement where Shastri has been roped in by Greycells Education Limited as its mentor and advisor for their skill training initiatives, the former Team India director said: “Rs 2 crore is nothing. It is peanuts. See how much an Australian is getting, (approx) Rs 8 crore.”
Shastri further added: Pujara should be compensated (for not getting an IPL contract). The grade contract of the Test players should be the highest. Pujara should be the highest, on par with the top players. When it comes to ‘A’ grade players, it has to be massive. I know it has been doubled (from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore).
“A, B and C grades are the best formula where an A grade cricketer like Pujara gets a massive amount and he is not bothered if he plays IPL or not. He will be happy and say ‘I will play two months of (England) county cricket. In our time, we played six months of county cricket. Here, you can play just for two months and they should use that time to go out and play there.”
Pujara may feel left out but is certainly not jealous over other players earning through IPL.
However, it makes for an interesting case when Pawan Negi, the left-arm spinning all-rounder from Delhi, was grabbed by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 8.5 crore at the player auction before the 2016 IPL. He went on to play one T20 game for India between the player auction and IPL 2016, in the Asia Cup and did not set the stage on fire in the ninth edition of IPL.
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