DDCA groundstaff agitated with non-payment of prize money

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has to confront a new internal conflict with their ground staff ahead of the the 2nd ODI of the five-ODI series between India and New Zealand at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi on October 20. The DDCA ground staff has claimed that the association has not paid them their share of prize money which was awarded to them for producing the best ground and pitch in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016.

The DDCA had announced in June that every penny of the Rs. 12.5 lakh coming in from the board would be distributed among the ground staff – including technicians who worked with the electrical department. With just two days left for hosting the second ODI between India and New Zealand, ground staffs are still waiting for DDCA to fulfil their promise.

According to Cricbuzz, “Every groundsman was supposed to get around Rs 40,000-50,000 while curator Ankit Datta was slated to pocket around Rs 1.5 lakh. The sum is equal to some of the groundsman’s two months’ salaries. They have made plans with the festive season around. They are getting agitated,” told a DDCA official.

However, DDCA has cited that it is yet to receive the amount from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“We are still waiting for BCCI to transfer the funds to our account. Even the funds earned from hosting the World T20 matches haven’t arrived,” confirmed the DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda. On the BCCI website, ere every payment made where every payment made in excess of Rs 25 lakh is mentioned, there is a declaration that IPL prize money payments have been made till August 2016.