AFP, Nagpur :
National team skipper Virat Kohli has demanded a greater share of India’s growing cricket wealth for players ahead of contract talks this week, officials said.
Top players saw their annual basic deals doubled to $300,000 this year.
But the Indian squad, who are due to hold talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in New Delhi on Friday, want more after the governing body struck a huge new television deal in September.
The BCCI will get $2.5 billion from Rupert Murdoch’s Star India channel to show the Indian Premier League from 2018 to 2022.
Player contracts expired on September 30 and salaries are one of the key negotiating points. A senior board official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that “the players want a raise” and that Kohli will lead the talks with former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and current coach Ravi Shastri.
They will meet BCCI administrator Vinod Rai in New Delhi to discuss pay and the packed cricket calendar which Kohli has also criticised.
“It’s always healthy to be transparent and that’s what BCCI is trying to be. Kohli and the players are always welcome to put their point across,” the official said.
