Cricket as a Career in India

India’s sports quota scheme has existed for more than 50 years. Under the scheme, a percentage of roles in a variety of public sector, utilities, services and nationalised banks is reserved for young sportspeople. Until the introduction of more generous match fees, this scheme had been the financial backbone of Indian domestic cricket. Only Mumbai has started to offer the types of domestic contract we are familiar with in New Zealand.

Indulkar himself was employed by Bharat Petroleum for 22 years from the age of 19. For him, the scheme meant a stable monthly salary, medical expenses for his family, a car and home loan plus a petrol allowance - all with the near complete freedom to pursue his cricket dream. Not only that, but players on the scheme are employed for life. When Indulkar stopped playing, he started full-time, 9-5 employment only in his second year away from the game.

Justin with Andhra Team Players. Photo: Justin Paul's Substack

Players in the Andhra team are employed by the Indian Oil Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Income Tax Department, Audit Office and the GST Department. Banks, Air India and India Post also employ sportspeople while Railways and Services have long fielded their own teams in the Ranji Trophy. Young players might start their career with a scholarship - Saurabh Kumar, a veteran all-rounder, was offered one at 15. From there a short-term contract can develop into the coveted lifetime employment.

In return, the domestic players must turn out for hard-fought and often high quality inter and intra-company matches and tournaments. These can add up to 30 match days to a player’s calendar. The scheme is also about prestige and reflected glory. If a sportsperson wins a national trophy, medal or tournament, they become eligible for promotion. Even players on BCCI contracts who started their careers on the sports quota scheme retain employment and salary: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma are on Indian Oil’s books while KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Umesh Yadav are with the Reserve Bank of India; Mohammed Siraj is a Deputy Superintendent with the Telangana Police.

Cricket is not the only sport to benefit from the scheme. In all, 63 sports are eligible. They include hockey, badminton, chess, table-tennis, Olympic athletes and a number of indigenous sports such as kabaddi and mallakhamb. Google tells me mallakhamb is a combination of aerial yoga, gymnastics and wrestling performed on a stationary vertical pole. I would pay good money to watch members of the team attempt this …

However, Indulkar says that companies offer fewer roles now and that more options are open for players once they retire from the game. “If a cricketer plays ten years of Ranji Trophy, collects the match fees and receives the post-IPL payment that the BCCI distributes across the domestic game each season, they will make more money than they can in 40 years at a public sector job. More ex-players are moving to coaching, selector and media roles.” Indulkar is an example of this himself: “It is a risk. I am stepping away from security.”

-Asia Media Centre

Banner Image - Mulapadu International Cricket Stadium. Photo: Justin Paul's Substack

This article was originally published on Justin Paul's Substack 'The Development Squad'