Player Match Fees Slashed by 75% for National T20 Cup by PCB

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made significant cuts to match fees for players competing in the upcoming National T20 Cup. This year, players will only receive PKR 10,000 (approximately US$ 35) per match, marking a steep 75% decrease from the previous edition where players were paid PKR 40,000 per match.

It is an even bigger cut from as recently as 2022, when players were paid PKR 60,000 as match fees for the tournament. Reserve players in the squad in this edition will be paid PKR 5,000 (approx. US$ 17.50) per match.

The slash in match fees is in sharp contrast to the general rate of high spends at the PCB under current chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Last year, shortly after becoming chair, he said the money in PCB's accounts was not meant to be "locked away" and would be spent on the players and in the service of Pakistan cricket.

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Since then, the PCB has embarked upon expensive but necessary stadium upgrades, hired - and soon after let go - foreign coaches on expensive contracts, as well as five mentors on PKR 5 million a month each, as well as hosting a one-day domestic tournament that increased the prize money to participants tenfold.

A PCB official told ESPNcricinfo, however, that the decision to cut match fees so drastically for the National T20 Cup was not an outcome of financial concerns. Instead, the PCB feels the players' earning opportunities over the season have risen with more tournaments in the domestic calendar, including the Champions T20 Cup, which took place in December 2024 (but with only five teams).

The Champions Cup format of five elite teams of players is replicated in both a 50-over and first-class tournament. With a number of players also employed by a department (for tournaments such as the President's Trophy) which pays them a monthly salary, the board believes the drop in match fees did not amount to an overall drop in their earnings.

The National T20 Cup starts on March 14, with 39 matches across three cities: Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan. The final will take place in Faisalabad on March 27. Several leading Pakistan international cricketers will be unable to feature, with the national side having left for New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs.