The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has significantly decreased the match fees for players participating in the upcoming National T20 Cup. Players will now receive PKR 10,000 per match, a substantial reduction of 75% compared to the previous edition where they earned PKR 40,000 per match.
This cut is even more drastic when compared to 2022, when players received PKR 60,000 per match in the tournament. Reserve players in the current edition will be paid PKR 5,000 per match.
The reduction in player fees contrasts sharply with the PCB’s overall high spending under chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Despite earlier statements emphasizing investment in players and Pakistan cricket, recent expenditures include stadium upgrades and hiring foreign coaches and mentors at considerable expense.
However, a PCB official stated that the decision to lower match fees for the National T20 Cup is not due to financial constraints. Instead, the board believes that increased earning opportunities from a fuller domestic schedule, including events like the Champions T20 Cup, compensate for the reduced match fees.
The PCB also points to players’ departmental contracts, which provide monthly salaries, as contributing to their overall income, suggesting the match fee reduction does not represent a net loss in earnings.
The National T20 Cup is scheduled to begin on March 14 and will feature 39 matches across Faisalabad, Lahore, and Multan, with the final in Faisalabad on March 27. Several prominent Pakistani international cricketers will be absent due to the national team’s tour to New Zealand.
