BCCI AGM — Domestic umpires set for 30 per cent raise; fees of match referees to be hiked too

Representative Image: The last major revision of domestic umpiring fees came in 2017-18, when the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators was overseeing the board. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

The domestic cricket umpires and match referees are set for a raise, after the BCCI Annual General Meeting on Friday approved a proposal to restructure their fees and introduce a more stringent performance-based grading system.

“The umpires will now be graded in four categories. Their fees per day have been enhanced substantially. So far as match referees are concerned, we have also revised their match fees structure,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said after the AGM.

While the BCCI did not spell out the revised slabs, it is understood that the match fees for umpires will be increased by at least 30 per cent.

The last major revision of domestic umpiring fees came in 2017-18, when the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators was overseeing the board. Since then, umpires in the top two grades have been paid ₹40,000 per match day, while those in the other grades receive ₹30,000 per day.

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Match referees were paid Rs. 30,000 per match day following the 2017-18 restructuring, before their fee was subsequently raised to Rs. 40,000. The BCCI, however, is yet to finalise a similar restructuring for scorers. “As far as the scorers are concerned, we will need some more time to assess their situations,” Saikia said.

The restructuring is also set to bring greater accountability to the umpiring system, with appointments to be made on the basis of performance assessments.

“All the umpires’ postings will be done as per merit by the assessment team,” Saikia said. “And at the end of every season, there will be a relegation and promotion for 10 umpires from each grade. This will make them very alert throughout the season, and that will ultimately help the game of cricket.”

Umpiring standards have been a recurring point of discussion in domestic cricket, with appointments for some critical matches occasionally prompting questions over the objectivity of the process. The BCCI has maintained that an internal mechanism is in place for assessing officials.

Saikia stressed the importance of competence among umpires, given the potential impact of their decisions on players. “Some players’ future depends on the decision of the umpires, so they have to be very competent and very alert,” he said.