Pay hike for Indian national selectors

Members of India's senior and junior national selection committees will receive a hefty pay hike from next month. In what is being termed as "mid-term" appraisal the finance committee of the BCCI has proposed to pay Rs 40 lakhs (US$85,000) annually to each senior selector and Rs 20 lakhs (US$42,500) to each junior selector. That translates into a 60% hike for a senior selector and 33% for a junior.

"This mid-term hike is proposed as a reward for the performance of the selectors," a BCCI official told Cricinfo. Currently, the five members on the senior panel headed by Kris Srikkanth have an annual contract of Rs 25 lakhs (US$53,100) each. Former cricketers Yashpal Sharma, Narendra Hirwani, Raja Venkat and Surendra Bhave are the other members. The junior committee, chaired by former India and Mumbai fast bowler Abey Kuruvilla, gets Rs 15 lakhs per year (US$31,900). Both contracts are valid till September 30 next year.

Two years ago the BCCI had started paying selectors on a per-match basis in what was seen as the first step towards accountability. Another reason for the decision was to stop selectors from writing/airing their views in the print and electronic media. In September 2008 the board appointed the first batch of salaried selectors. Other steps taken towards professionalising the selection process included laying down eligibility norms for selection.