Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli Leads Calls For Pay Raise Following BCCI's Lucrative TV Deal

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli "demanded a greater share of India's growing cricket wealth for players ahead of contract talks this week," officials said, according to the AFP. Top players saw their annual basic deals doubled to $300,000 this year. But the Indian squad, which is due to hold talks with the BCCI in New Delhi on Friday, wants more after the governing body struck a "huge" new TV deal in September. The BCCI will get $2.5B from Rupert Murdoch's Star India to show the Indian Premier League from '18-22. Player contracts expired on Sept. 30 and salaries "are one of the key negotiating points." A senior board official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 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 criticized (AFP, 11/28).