Mumbai: To make playing the Indian Premier League (IPL) more lucrative for the players, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the owner of the league, has decided to introduce a match fee for every game, which will be over and above the contracted amount for which a player is signed up. 

Terming it a historic move, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that BCCI has introduced a match fee of Rs 7.5 lakh per game for the players to celebrate consistency and outstanding performances. The move will come into effect from the upcoming 2025 edition of the IPL.

Each franchise will allocate Rs 12.60 crore as match fees for the season and thus, a player playing all league matches in a season will earn an additional Rs 1.05 crore, Shah wrote in his post. "In a historic move to celebrate consistency and champion outstanding performances in the #IPL, we are thrilled to introduce a match fee of INR 7.5 lakhs per game for our cricketers! A cricketer playing all league matches in a season will get Rs. 1.05 crore in addition to his contracted amount," wrote Jay Shah in his post.

"Each franchise will allocate INR 12.60 crores as match fees for the season! This is a new era for the #IPL and our players!" he further wrote.

Currently, players get the contracted amount at which they were picked in the auction or through retention. Besides that, they also get a portion of the Player of the Match award for being a part of the Playing XI. But the introduction of a match fee will definitely help the uncapped and young players like U-19 stars as they have a salary cap and are signed up at a nominal amount when compared to the megabucks offered in the auction.

With the introduction of match-fee, these players will get an additional Rs 7.9 lakh if they play a match, thus making playing in the IPL a more lucrative proportion for them. (IANS)