MUMBAI: If the Mumbai Cricket Association becomes the first state unit in the country to implement contracts for its cricketers, then veteran BCCI and Mumbai Cricket Association administrator Ratnakar Shetty deserves some credit for it.
It was on Shetty's suggestion that MCA president Vijay Patil proposed having annual contracts for Mumbai cricketers at an Apex Council meeting of the association on Wednesday. Patil's proposal was approved by the MCA's Apex Council.
In an email (TOI has a copy) to Patil on June 17 to Patil, Shetty had written: "The BCCI has raised close to 50,000 crores for the IPL media rights for the five year cycle 2023-28. The first beneficiary of this was the retired cricketers and umpires whose monthly gratis amounts were enhanced with effect from 1st June 2022.It is time to make our Ranji Trophy cricketers financially secure to some extent particularly those who don't play IPL and match fee is the only source of income from Ranji matches is the only source of income for them."
Shetty reminded Patil that in the past, it was the MCA which took the lead in the country when it came to taking care of "current and retired cricketers and umpires." "We in the MCA have been leading the others when it comes to taking decisions in the interest of current and retired cricketers and umpires. All those who have played for Mumbai between 1 to 24 matches not covered by BCCI get monthly gratis once they reach 55 years of age, even the widows of these cricketers get paid. We were the first to make air travel and good hotel accommodation available to our teams playing in BCCI tournaments."
Shetty has pointed out that "those with BCCI contracts need not be considered for BCCI contracts." "The MCA can now start the annual retainership for the Ranji Cricketers from the next season. You can have two groups to start with a payment of 7.5 lakhs and 15 lakhs respectively and keep a benchmark of number of matches to qualify for the same. Mumbai players in the BCCI contract need not be considered for state contract."
Like in the case of BCI contracts, "The selectors can pick players for each of the groups," he has suggested.
Explaining why his idea of providing annual retainership for Mumbai's cricketers was critical, Shetty wrote: "The annual retainership is important because not all state cricketers have India or IPL contract and they rely only on match fees earned. When they are not playing due to injury they don't get any match fee payment. The MCA has been a trend setter in many ways and I am sure you and the Apex Council will take this opportunity to be the first state to implement the annual retainership for Ranji cricketers."
