Lahore (Sports Desk): Pakistan Cricket Board has issued a notification introducing a new policy for departmental cricket while also increasing the annual fees for departmental teams.
According to sources, several departments have expressed concerns following the increase in annual fees, while the PCB has also fixed minimum monthly remuneration levels for players.
Under the new notification, the annual fee for a Grade One departmental team has been set at Rs15 million, while Grade Two Gold teams will be required to pay Rs4.2 million annually and Grade Two Silver teams will pay Rs4 million per year.
In addition, every department participating in Grade One cricket will be required to pay at least one player a minimum monthly salary of Rs125,000, equivalent to Rs1.5 million annually.
Similarly, the minimum monthly remuneration has been fixed at Rs75,000 for players in Grade Two Gold teams and Rs50,000 for players in Grade Two Silver teams. The notification also makes it mandatory for departments to sign players on contracts of at least one year.
Sources stated that departments already bear all administrative and operational expenses, and therefore the continuous increase in annual fees is discouraging for participating organizations. According to them, the annual fee was previously Rs3 million, then increased to Rs5 million, and has now been raised to Rs15 million.
According to the sources, players are already receiving reasonable salaries, and imposing a minimum salary threshold could place an additional financial burden on departments.
The PCB has also issued new policies for the President's Trophy First-Class Tournament, the President's Cup One-Day Tournament, and the President's Trophy Grade Two Gold and Silver competitions.
Under the policy, the match fee in Grade One cricket has been set at Rs10,000, while reserve players will receive Rs5,000 per match. In addition, a daily allowance of Rs5,000 will be paid separately. In Grade Two competitions, the match fee has been fixed at Rs5,000, while the daily allowance has been set at Rs4,000.
Sources further stated that an important meeting regarding departmental cricket has been scheduled for June 29, during which the new decisions and policy matters will be discussed in detail.