ICA on Track

Talks with the BCCI on Pension for Domestic Cricketers (less than 25 matches) on right track and positive developments likely later this year 

Medical Insurance could be substantially higher if the new model that is being currently worked out succeeds 

Following the recent spat in public, a Code of Conduct for the ICA members is likely soon 

The public statement of Ashok Malhotra, the President of the Indian Cricketers' Association (ICA), hitting out against the BCCI, Apex Council members and even his own directors has left a poor taste on the functioning of the ICA in the very first year of its launch. The former India cricketer, who won unopposed last year, has accused his contemporaries Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy of not taking up the issues relating to the former domestic cricketers with the powers that be at the BCCI. 

It is to be remembered that ICA has been registered as a Limited Company and that board members are to follow a certain decorum in its engagement and conduct.

The cricketing world has been caught in a tangle following the Pandemic. The announcement has just come in that the T20 World Cup has been cancelled. It is still unsure if the domestic cricket season in India will get underway this year and of course the cricketing community is eagerly awaiting the update on the IPL. A lot of the BCCI staffers have been working from home in the last few months, given the serious issues that Bombay has faced. 

Pension Discussions

Despite the impact of the Pandemic, the ICA has made solid progress since its launch. Most of the issues taken up the ICA are under consideration by the BCCI. It is likely that the there will be a positive development in the next few months on the issue relating to pension for first class cricketers who played less than 25 matches.

Higher Medical Insurance

The team at ICA has been working tirelessly on the medical insurance for former domestic cricketers and it is expected that something concrete would emerge on this front. Currently, the former cricketers are eligible for a maximum amount of Rs. 5 Lakhs in a life time. If the new model that is being worked out by the ICA team succeeds, then the eligible medical claim could turn out to be very different and substantially higher  and without this lifetime cap. 

Code of Conduct for its members

On the immediate front, given the recent developments of the last few days and the public spat in the media, the ICA is likely to come out soon with a code of conduct for its members especially on the communication front. It is unbecoming of well respected former cricketers who had formed an association for the welfare of former domestic cricketers to be engaging in a duel in the media. 

BCCI open to funding the ICA

The BCCI, which had initially funded Rs. 2 crores to the ICA, had told the player’s body at that time to spend this amount towards the players and then to come back to them if they were in need of more money. In the first positive development, in May this year, the ICA had handed out support to several financially challenged former domestic cricketers from the 1960s-80s that also included Rs. 80000/- to Peter Fernandez from Tamil Nadu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/05/peter-fernandez-ica-financial-assistance.html). 

Going forward, the ICA could also look at opening a full fledged office in the country.

Despite the public spat of the last week, it looks like the ICA is headed in the right direction for now and the former domestic players can expect some positive developments in the near future.