How much money were Indian Team players awarded during 1983 World Cup? This historical document will blow your mind
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It is a no brainer that Cricket in India is no longer just a recreational activity driven by ounces of passion. It is been looked as an attractive career option and the insurgence pertaining the same was brought about arguably by the Indian Cricket Team, who, despite being given the underdog tag, lifted the 1983 World Cup by defeating the ever lethal West Indian side.
Come the millennium, and the Cricket, particularly in India has grown through leaps and bounds. Heavy match fees, attractive daily allowances, lucrative central contracts, millions of crores worth endorsement deals and the IPL. The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has coem a long way in terms of money which is reflected even on the financial health of the players under its canopy as well.
But, was it always the same? To be precise, a big NO.
Amount earned by the 1983 World Cup winning team
As per a historical document shared by veteran journalist- Rajdeep Sardesai, the 1983 World Cup winning team, under the captaincy of Kapil Dev, used to get a mere sum of Rs. 1500 as match fees, coupled with a daily allowance of Rs. 200 per day!
As per the document, everyone including the captain, vice-captain, and even the Team manager used to get an equal sum as mentioned above. The document dated September 21, 1983, shows the names of all the 14 players who were part of the ’83 Indian World Cup squad plus the then Team manager- Bishan Singh Bedi.
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The document also contains the signatures of all the players in the last column including the likes of Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar etc.
How much do the players earn now?
There is a really huge amount of difference separating the payment caps of the two generations. A player is greeted with a sum of Rs. 15 lacs for an International Test played in contemporary times. Moreover, they are payed a lucrative sum of Rs.6 lacs and Rs. 3 lacs for an Interantional One-Day and a T20I match respectively, apart from the daily allowance.
But this is not it. The players also get additional bonus for brilliant individual performances- like scoring a century of picking a five-wicket haul.
It is quite obvious that the total earnings after 36 years would witness a hike due to rise in the currency’s value due to inflation. But, the pace at which the Indian Cricketers have grown in monetary terms is much much higher than the general populace of the country.
