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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a major increase in the prize money for all men's and women's senior domestic tournaments. The move is set to benefit the winners of various competitions including the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and senior women's T20 trophy.
As per the announcement, the champions of the Ranji Trophy from the upcoming 2023/24 season will earn INR 5 crores as prize money, a significant increase from INR 2 crores. The senior women's team one-day winning side will receive INR 50 lakhs as the winning amount, which is a remarkable jump from INR 6 lakhs, while the runners-up will get INR 25 lakhs.
The BCCI President, Jay Shah, expressed his pleasure while announcing the news on his official Twitter account. "I'm pleased to announce an increase in prize money for all Domestic Tournaments. We will continue our efforts to invest in Domestic Cricket -- which is the backbone of Indian Cricket. Ranji winners to get ?5 crores (from 2 cr), Sr Women winners ?50 lacs (from 6 lacs)," Shah tweeted.
In addition, the runners-up of the Ranji Trophy will get INR 3 crores, up from INR 1 crores earlier, while the losing semi-finalists will now get INR 1 crores. The prize money for other tournaments, including the Irani Cup, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, DB Deodhar Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, has also seen significant increases.
The BCCI also revealed the domestic schedule for the 2023/24 season, which will begin with the Duleep Trophy, scheduled from June 28 to July 16. The Deodhar Trophy, which has been absent for the past three years, will take place in a zonal format with six zones competing from July 24 to August 3.
This announcement by the BCCI is a welcome boost for domestic cricket in India, which has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. With increased prize money, the BCCI is hoping to attract more talented cricketers to take part in domestic tournaments and strengthen the country's cricketing infrastructure.