The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had planned to cut match fees for players in the upcoming National T20 Cup by 75%. However, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stepped in and stopped the decision. He said that domestic players would not face any reduction in their match fee.
The PCB had planned to reduce the match fees for the National T20 Cup from PKR 40,000 to PKR 10,000 per match. They said the cut was because more domestic tournaments are being held.
Earlier, the new match fee was cut by 75% compared to the last edition, and it’s an even bigger drop from 2022 when players used to get PKR 60,000 per match. Now, reserve players will only receive PKR 5,000 per match.
Both the 50-over and first-class tournaments follow the same five-team format. Many players also get a monthly salary from departmental teams for tournaments like the President’s Trophy. The board believed that cutting match fees wouldn’t reduce the players’ overall earnings since they still receive regular pay from their teams.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has instructed the Director of Domestic Cricket to make sure that players’ payments in the National T20 Tournament are not reduced. Geo TV sports reporter Sohail Imran confirmed that the chairman stepped in to protect the players’ earnings.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi intervened to stop the reduction in match fees for domestic cricketers in the National T20 Tournament and ordered an immediate review of the fees.
— Sohail Imran (@sohailimrangeo) March 13, 2025
Since Mohsin Naqvi stepped in, there’s now a chance that the board will reconsider the match fees for domestic players and possibly reverse the large pay cut.
The National T20 Cup will start on March 14 and will have 39 matches played in Faisalabad, Lahore, and Multan. The final match will be held in Faisalabad on March 27. Some of Pakistan’s top cricketers will not be part of the tournament as they will be in New Zealand for a series of five T20Is and three ODIs.
The team is set to tour New Zealand for a series of five T20Is and three ODIs. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of the T20I squad but will continue to be part of the ODI team. The tour will kick off with the first T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on March 16.
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