--- title: "Ranji Trophy player salary: match fees, prize money & BCCI central contracts" url: "https://blog.cricheroes.com/ranji-trophy-player-salary/" date: "2026-04-20T10:47:17+05:30" modified: "2026-04-20T10:47:27+05:30" author: name: "Manan Joshi" url: "https://blog.cricheroes.com/" categories: - "Cricketpedia" word_count: 1783 reading_time: "9 min read" summary: "Most people only hear about the IPL numbers. A single IPL auction bid can cross Rs 20 crore in seconds. But most Indian cricketers don't play in the IPL. They play Ranji Trophy red-ball cricket, we..." description: "Most people only hear about the IPL numbers. A single IPL auction bid can cross Rs 20 crore in seconds. But most Indian cricketers don’t play in the IP..." keywords: "Cricketpedia" language: "en" schema_type: "Article" related_posts: - title: "Most handsome cricketer in the world: Top 25 ranked 2025" url: "https://blog.cricheroes.com/most-handsome-cricketer-world/" - title: "Most Sixes in Test Cricket: Who Holds the Record for Most Sixes?" url: "https://blog.cricheroes.com/most-sixes-in-test-cricket/" - title: "History of cricket: origins, rules, & the modern game" url: "https://blog.cricheroes.com/history-of-cricket/" --- # Ranji Trophy player salary: match fees, prize money & BCCI central contracts _Published: April 20, 2026_ _Author: Manan Joshi_ ![Ranji Trophy player salary](https://blog.cricheroes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Ranji-Trophy-player-salary-1024x576.jpg) Most people only hear about the IPL numbers. A single IPL auction bid can cross Rs 20 crore in seconds. But most Indian cricketers don’t play in the IPL. They play Ranji Trophy red-ball cricket, week after week, on grounds where crowds are thin and camera crews are rare. So what does a Ranji Trophy player actually earn ? How do match fees, prize money, and central contracts work together? And is domestic cricket in India finally paying players enough to build a life around the game? Here are the real numbers. **TL;DR:** Ranji Trophy players earn Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per day in the playing XI based on career experience, as per the BCCI’s three-slab structure. A senior player reaching the final across a full 10-match season can earn approximately Rs 25 lakh in match fees. The BCCI is weighing a proposal to double these rates, which could push full-season earnings to Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore. ## How much do Ranji Trophy players earn per day ? The BCCI currently pays players at the senior men’s level across three slabs. Players with over 40 first-class caps earn Rs 60,000 a day. Those who have played 21 to 40 games take home Rs 50,000 a day. And those who have featured in fewer than 20 games earn Rs 40,000 a day. Reserves earn exactly half the playing XI rate throughout. | **Experience (Career FC Matches)** | **Playing XI (Per Day)** | **Reserve (Per Day)** | |---|---|---| | Under 20 matches | Rs 40,000 | Rs 20,000 | | 21 to 40 matches | Rs 50,000 | Rs 25,000 | | 40+ matches | Rs 60,000 | Rs 30,000 | A typical [Ranji Trophy](https://blog.cricheroes.com/ranji-trophy-the-storied-legacy-of-indian-domestic-cricket/) first-class match runs five days. That means one match earns a senior player Rs 3 lakh and a new player Rs 2 lakh in the playing XI. The gap reflects years of domestic service, which makes sense. But it also means a debutant earns just 67 percent of what a veteran in the same XI takes home for the same five days on the field. Reserve players feel this structure the hardest. If you are named in the squad but left out of the eleven, your daily rate drops to half. A senior reserve earns Rs 30,000 per day instead of Rs 60,000. That pressure to stay in the starting eleven is not just about pride — it is financial. Also read: [Ranji trophy winners list: Complete history & records](https://blog.cricheroes.com/ranji-trophy-winners-list/) ## How much can a player earn in a full Ranji Trophy season? Under the current pay scale, a senior player can earn around Rs 25 lakh if their team reaches the final, while others make between Rs 17 lakh and Rs 22 lakh in a season. Here is the math for a team that goes all the way to the final across a 10-match season: **Senior player (40+ matches, Rs 60,000/day):** - Group stage: 5 matches x 5 days = 25 days = Rs 15 lakh - Quarter-final + Semi-final: 2 matches x 5 days = 10 days = Rs 6 lakh - Final: 5 days = Rs 3 lakh - Total: approximately Rs 24 lakh to Rs 25 lakh **New player (under 20 matches, Rs 40,000/day):** - Same route, same number of playing days - Total: approximately Rs 16 lakh to Rs 17 lakh Opening batter Bhupen Lalwani, who featured in all 10 games Mumbai played in Ranji Trophy 2023-24, earned Rs 17.2 lakh in match fees. That number puts the structure into real perspective. A player who shows up for every single game of a full Mumbai season takes home roughly what the IPL pays for the cheapest uncapped slot at auction. Aakash Chopra recalled that his first Ranji Trophy salary was Rs 1,700 back in 1997. Today’s rates are a real improvement. Whether they are enough is a different question. ## What prize money does the Ranji Trophy offer? The BCCI revised prize money in April 2023, more than doubling previous figures across the board. | **Finish** | **Prize Money (from 2023)** | **Previous Prize Money** | |---|---|---| | Winner | Rs 5 crore | Rs 2 crore | | Runner-up | Rs 3 crore | Rs 1 crore | | Semi-finalist (x2) | Rs 1 crore each | Rs 50 lakh each | Vidarbha claimed the full Rs 5 crore by winning the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy final against Kerala. The prize money goes to the state association, which then distributes it among the players, support staff, and selectors. The exact split varies by state board. For other domestic tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy winners receive Rs 80 lakh, the Vijay Hazare Trophy winners receive Rs 1 crore, and the [Irani Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irani_Trophy?utm_source=blog.cricheroes.com&utm_medium=organic_seo&utm_campaign=history-of-cricket) winners receive Rs 50 lakh. A player who represents their state across all three formats stacks match fees and prize money through the full season. ## Will the BCCI raise Ranji Trophy match fees further? Reports suggest that the BCCI is considering proposals to double match fees for Ranji Trophy players. This would allow players to earn Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore annually for a full season. Sunil Gavaskar said: > “If the Ranji Trophy fee can be doubled or tripled, certainly there will be a lot more people playing the Ranji Trophy, a lot less pullouts.” The pressure to act grew after several high-profile players skipped Ranji matches ahead of the IPL. The [BCCI](https://blog.cricheroes.com/how-bcci-earns-money/) responded by making domestic cricket participation a factor in central contract eligibility. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were dropped from the 2023-24 central contract list after making themselves unavailable for domestic cricket. Both returned to the 2024-25 list after playing domestic cricket again. The Mumbai Cricket Association moved first. It announced that Mumbai men’s players would receive a 100 percent pay raise from the 2024-25 domestic season. A Mumbai player earning the Rs 40,000 BCCI daily rate also receives a matching Rs 40,000 from the MCA, effectively doubling their pay to Rs 80,000 per day. Not every state association has the financial capacity to do the same. This means Mumbai players now earn meaningfully more than players from smaller boards for identical BCCI-organised matches. ## How do BCCI central contracts work and what do they pay? The BCCI Central Contracts are divided into four categories. | **Grade** | **Annual Retainer** | **2024-25 Players (examples)** | |---|---|---| | A+ | Rs 7 crore | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja | | A | Rs 5 crore | KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami | | B | Rs 3 crore | Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer | | C | Rs 1 crore | Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy | A player must play at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is in a year to qualify for a central contract. Along with the fixed annual retainer, centrally contracted players earn separate match fees for every international appearance: Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 6 lakh per ODI, and Rs 3 lakh per T20I. A Grade A+ player who appears in 10 Tests, 5 ODIs, and 10 T20Is in a year adds Rs 1.8 crore in match fees on top of their Rs 7 crore retainer. ## How do Ranji Trophy earnings compare to IPL salaries? The gap is large, and it is the reason this conversation keeps coming up. | **Earning Source** | **Amount** | |---|---| | IPL Grade A+ retention (2025 auction) | Rs 18 crore per season | | BCCI central contract Grade A+ | Rs 7 crore per year | | Ranji Trophy full season, senior player | Rs 24-25 lakh | | Ranji Trophy full season, new player | Rs 16-17 lakh | | IPL uncapped player minimum base price | Rs 30 lakh | A domestic player told ESPNcricinfo: > “If your team doesn’t qualify for the knockouts, your whole year’s earnings are around Rs 20 lakh, which is like the base price in the IPL.” The comparison that stings most is the last line. A player who completes a full Ranji season, plays all 10 matches, and helps their team reach the final earns roughly what an IPL team pays for the cheapest uncapped slot at auction. That single number captures why so many players are drawn to T20 cricket and reluctant to commit fully to red-ball formats. ## Where Ranji Trophy pay stands today and what needs to change Ranji Trophy cricket is better paid than it was in 2016 or 2010. The 2021 revision to daily rates, the 2023 prize money increases, and the MCA’s decision to match BCCI fees are all steps in the right direction. But the math still does not add up for most domestic players. A player earning Rs 16-25 lakh across a full Ranji season, with no IPL deal and no central contract, is building a cricket career on modest income in cities where living costs are high. The BCCI’s proposal to double match fees would change that calculation meaningfully. A senior player reaching the Ranji final on doubled rates would earn Rs 48-50 lakh — which starts to resemble a genuine professional income. Until that happens, the Ranji Trophy remains the place where India finds its Test cricketers. But not yet the place where those cricketers can stop thinking about money. Every match you play has a story worth keeping. Your batting averages, your bowling spells, your five-wicket hauls — they all deserve to be on the record. Your story deserves to be scored. Start your match today on CricHeroes. [Download CricHeroes](https://cricheroes.com/?utm_source=blog.cricheroes.com&utm_medium=organic_seo&utm_campaign=history-of-cricket) ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does a Ranji Trophy player earn per match? Players with 40-plus Ranji matches earn Rs 60,000 per day in the XI, while reserves get Rs 30,000. Players with 21 to 40 appearances earn Rs 50,000 per day, and those with 20 or fewer caps earn Rs 40,000 per day. A five-day match earns a senior player Rs 3 lakh in the playing XI. ### Do Ranji Trophy players receive a fixed monthly salary? No. Ranji Trophy players are paid per day, not on a fixed monthly salary. The only cricketers with guaranteed annual retainers are the 34 players on BCCI central contracts, which are reserved for those who meet minimum international appearance thresholds. ### What is the Ranji Trophy prize money in 2025? The winners receive Rs 5 crore, the runners-up get Rs 3 crore, and the losing semi-finalists get Rs 1 crore each. These figures have been in place since April 2023, when BCCI raised them significantly across domestic tournaments. ### Are BCCI central contracts separate from Ranji Trophy match fees? Yes. BCCI Central Contracts are annual retainership agreements separate from all Ranji Trophy match fees, international match fees, and performance bonuses. They stack on top of everything else. ### Will the BCCI raise Ranji Trophy match fees further? The BCCI is considering doubling match fees, which would push senior player earnings to Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore per full season. The Mumbai Cricket Association has already moved ahead, effectively doubling Mumbai players’ daily earnings to Rs 80,000 from 2024-25. ### What is the Irani Cup prize money in 2025? The Irani Cup winners receive Rs 50 lakh. The Vijay Hazare Trophy winners receive Rs 1 crore and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy winners receive Rs 80 lakh. ### Who qualifies for a BCCI central contract? A player must appear in at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is in a year to qualify. Players must also actively take part in domestic cricket when not representing the national team. ### How is Ranji Trophy prize money distributed among players? The prize money goes to the state cricket association, which then distributes it among players, support staff, and selectors. The exact split varies by state board. ### Can a grassroots cricketer track their career stats like a Ranji player? Yes. CricHeroes lets any cricketer record ball-by-ball scores, track career stats, and build a full match history — no matter the level. Your cricket matters. --- _View the original post at: [https://blog.cricheroes.com/ranji-trophy-player-salary/](https://blog.cricheroes.com/ranji-trophy-player-salary/)_ _Served as markdown by [Third Audience](https://github.com/third-audience) v3.5.3_ _Generated: 2026-04-20 05:17:28 UTC_