Why Anil Kumble could lose his job as Indian cricket team’s head coach
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are looking for a new head coach for the Indian cricket team after Anil Kumble’s tenure comes to an end.
Despite Anil Kumble having overseen a highly successful international season in his first year as head coach of the India team, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited applications from candidates for the post.
Although the Indian cricket board says Kumble will be a direct entry, the decision to advertise for the job comes as a big surprise, just ahead of an important event like the ICC Champions Trophy.
It was widely believed the former India skipper, who succeeded Ravi Shastri to the post in June last year, would get an extension as the Indian cricket team coach, though his tenure ends with the Champions Trophy.
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HT had on Wednesday reported that Indian cricket board officials were unhappy with Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli for demanding a huge hike in retainership for only the top Grade A players, besides the coach’s fees.
Any increase in retainership would have come at the cost of fund allocation to state associations or fees given to domestic players, a Board official had told HT. The Committee of Administrators (CoA) and BCCI had made it clear they will not increase the share from its revenues that go as salaries to the players. Currently, out of BCCI’s total revenue, 70% goes to state associations. From the remaining sum, 26% is distributed to players with half of the sum going to centrally contracted players.
If an increment is given to Grade A players, the share of domestic players etc. will have to be reduced, unless the current allocation of 26% is increased. If that happens, it will eat into BCCI’s funds allocated for other things like National Cricket Academy, with huge resources needed for the construction at a new plot in Bangalore.
“The CoA made it clear to the players (Kumble and Kohli) at the meeting that they won’t increase the share from 26% of BCCI revenues, half of which goes to top stars and the remaining to first-class, junior cricketers etc,” an official had told HT. “Honestly, Kumble & Co are being inconsiderate. The first-class players too want an increase and state bodies too don’t want to take a hit.”
READ | India players’ body a non-starter as Virat Kohli, Anil Kumble push for salary hike
The Board officials feel Kumble has gone beyond his brief and is driving the players to demand a hike, which the Board isn’t happy about. An official told HT that Kumble has held positions in the past that amounted to conflict of interest.
Kumble’s annual contract is Rs 6.5 crore and has demanded a R1 crore hike. Grade A players, who get Rs 2 crore as annual retainership, want it to be raised to R5 crore.
Kumble had earlier irked the BCCI old guard when he pushed for India’s participation in the Champions Trophy while some of the senior officials were still contemplating a boycott after the International Cricket Council (ICC) slashed India’s share from global revenue and revised administrative norms.