BCCI increases hosting and match fee for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
In a significant development on Sunday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to increase the hosting fee of the six state associations staging the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
The hosting fee has been increased to ₹3.5 lakh from ₹2.5 lakh. Also, the players’ match fee was hiked from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000.
“After receiving the feedback from the staging associations at the recently held AGM in Ahmedabad and the subsequent discussions with my colleagues at the BCCI, I am pleased to announce an increase in the hosting fee for Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament for 2020-21 season from the existing INR 250,000 to INR 350,000,” wrote BCCI secretary Jay Shah to the six hosting associations.
Announcing the hike in the players’ match fee, the letter from Shah added:
“Further, the Participation Fee payable to all the participating teams is also hereby increased from INR 50,000 to INR 75,000.
"All these measures are being implemented in order to assist the Staging Associations and participating teams for the conduct of the domestic cricket amidst these unprecedented Covid times,” added Shah.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is often viewed as an auditioning platform for the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ahead of the IPL auctions next month, the tournament will be monitored closely by the cash-rich league’s franchises, and the performances will be given weightage for team selections.
Six cities hosting league matches of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which began on Sunday, marked the start of the Indian domestic season that suffered months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The T20 tournament is being played in six cities – Mumbai, Vadodara, Indore, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru. The bio-bubble increases the cost for the host association.
The cities mentioned above are hosting the league matches. 38 teams are divided across six groups – five Elite and one Plate. The knockout rounds are scheduled to be played at the new stadium in Ahmedabad.