How much money does it really take to host a Test match?
We have heard the claims that cricketing countries like New Zealand & South Africa ‘lose money’ while hosting a Test match. Well, how much money are they losing? Why are they losing so much money?
Don’t worry, I got you. Here is a research article on how much money it costs to host a Test match.
A 2-Test series can cost about $679,500-$2.3 million, while a 5-Test series Ashes may incur expenses ranging from $ 3.043 million to a whopping $7.3 million.
Hence, on average, it takes around $350,000-$1.4 million to host a Test match. The vast range is due to the choices made by the national board – whether to have 4-cameras or 16, whether to purchase the complete version of the DRS or just the Hawkeye, number of support staff, choices for hotels and flights, etc.
Factors that impact the cost of hosting a Test match include (but are not limited to) technology, the review system, player match fees, umpires’ fees, post-match awards, broadcasting & commentating team, security personnel, support staff, hotels, food, flights, busses, incidentals, and facilities.
*Note: Apart from the host cricket board, some of these expenses may be shared between sponsors, broadcasters, ICC, and state/ national governments.
Other articles in Cricket & Finances: Money, Money, Money!
How Much Money Does it take to Host a Test Match – The Top 9 Factors
It takes a village to host a Test match. This includes the players themselves, the commentators, ground staff, umpires, ball boys & girls, bus drivers, security personnel, administrators, ticket sellers, the media, and most importantly, the fans.
We take all these dimensions and come up with estimates for a 2-Test series and a 5-Test series.
We consider an Australia-England Test series for our 5-match estimates and teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan for our 2-match estimates.
Note: All numbers are in $ USD. Also, some costs might be one-off cost to the host country (for example, ground covers, initial camera equipment, speed gun, stumps, cost of buying land & building the stadium, etc.). Some of these costs may be offset by themaintenance costs of the one-off items, and hence, should not impact the overall estimate range much.
*If you use any of our derivations and data, please link this article to avoid copyright issues.
1. Technology: $120,000-$2.6 Million
What Does it Include?
DRS (Hawkeye, Hotspot, Snicko, etc.), Cameras (4-16, SpiderCam), Stumps (Stump Mic, LED Stumps, Zing Bails), Bushnell Range Finder, and Speed Gun
Note: To cut costs, some boards may choose to only purchase Hawkeye with minimal cameras, while other nations might purchase a full set of DRS/camera setup.
2. Broadcasting & Commentators: $20,000-$1 million
What Does it Include?
This includes the salary of commentators, behind-the-scenes broadcasters.
According to various reports online, commentators can earn $1000-$5000 in match fees and around $50,000 per series. Some commentators even take home paychecks of up to a million dollars per year.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $20,000 ($1,000 match fee per Test for set of 10 commentators)
Maximum Cost: $750,000 ($50,000 series fee for set of 15 commentators)
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $375,000 ($5,000 match fee per Test for set of 15 commentators)
Maximum Cost: $1 million ($50,000 series fee for set of 20 commentators)
Sky Sports signed 19 commentators for the 2023 Ashes season.
Note: The cost for technology, broadcasting, and commentators may be shared between the cricket board and broadcasting companies. This may also be negotiated in the various TV/streaming multi-year broadcasting deals.
3. Player Match Fees & Match Awards: $130,000-1 Million
What Does it Include?
This will only include the match fees for the players in the playing XI. We do not include yearly contracted salary for this calculation since that is a separate transaction between a player & its cricket board.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: 126,500
Maximum Cost: $145,000
Calculation Method: Test Match Fees * 2 (number of Test) * 11 (number of players in the playing XI). With player of the match/series awards (plus many more nowadays), this cost will increase to $130,000-$160,000.
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
Minimum Cost: $687,500
Maximum Cost: $1 million
Calculation Method: Test Match Fees * 5 (number of Test) * 11 (number of players in the playing XI). If we add the award costs, this cost will increase to $700,000-$1,025,000.
Note, each board will pay each of their players separately, so we will not double count this value (i.e. we will only count the expense for the host team).
This includes umpires, video umpire, reserve umpire, and referee. Some online websites estimate umpires may earn around $5,000 match fees for Test cricket.
A team like West Indies may be responsible for arranging flights from island to island or countries like Australia or India, where distances between cities is more convenient by air.
For domestic travel, we assume host boards will pay for players from both teams involved.
This will total to about 45-80 members total (squad: 15 players, 5 net bowlers per team, 3-5 coaches, umpires & referees: 5-8, commentators: 10-20, miscellaneous/administrators: 1-10)
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
The current India-West Indies series takes place in Roseau & Port of Spain. For a 2-Test series, we consider one flight.
Note: These estimates may vary depending if the national boards consider business or economy class and how soon they book their tickets.
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
We will consider the 2021 Ashes for this scenario. We check current one-way prices for Brisbane-Adelaide (around $300), Adelaide-Melbourne ($100), Melbourne-Sydney ($100), and Sydney-Hobart ($125). This totals to about $625 per member of the flight.
Minimum Cost: $28,125: 45*625
Maximum Cost: 50,000: 80*625
Surprised by these numbers? Note, that even though West Indies might not be the richest cricket board, Caribbean is still a pretty exotic place for travel.
6. Buses: $42,000-$105,000
What Does it Include?
Buses includes hiring a couple of drivers, tips for the drivers, and the cost to rent a charter bus. Each team will have a separate bus and there will also be a bus for support staff. According to Gogo Charters, it costs about £ 456-613 ($588-790) per day per charter bus, plus a 10% tip. We will estimate this around $700 per bus for a total of $2100 for three buses.
7. Hotels, Food, & Incidentals: $200,000-$2 million
What Does it Include?
According to the U.S. Department of State Foreign Per Diem Rates, “The maximum lodging amount is intended to substantially cover the cost of lodging at adequate, suitable and moderately-priced facilities. The M&IE portion is intended to substantially cover the cost of meals and incidental travel expenses such as laundry and dry cleaning.”
Cannot forget the dry cleaning and the laundry. Nobody wants stinky, smelly, and rainy tours.
For a reference, Adelaide’s Maximum Per Diem rate based on (1) Maximum Lodging Rate, (2) Meals & Incidentals is $324. Here is the estimate list for other Australian cities.
How Much will a 2-match Test series cost?
A two-Test series has a maximum of 10 days. However, we can consider one tour match, a couple days between each game, and a couple of days before/after the series for a total of 20 days.
The current Sri Lanka-Pakistan series is an 18-day affair for example. We will consider Galle’s per diem rate of $216 as an average (although it varies from city to city).
Minimum Cost: $194,400 (45 *$216*20)
Maximum Cost: $777,600 (80*216*20)
How Much will a 5-match Test series cost?
The 2023 Ashes takes place between June 16th and July 13th, totallng 45 days (without any tour matches). To keep it simple, we will take 50 days and the $526 per diem estimate for London.
This may include security guards, pitch curators, groundsperson, cleaners, stadium food organizers, support staff, pavilion steward’s, etc.
According to Glassdoor, a security guard in London earns annually £ 24,070 ($31,028 USD), a security officer earns about £ 26,383 ($34,000), and an assistant groundsperson earns about £ 22,000 ($ 28,000). The director of security and people in higher positions may earn £ 50,000-100,000 ($65,000-100,000).
We estimate around 50-100 support staff & security personnel are needed to make a Test match happen. We will take £ 20,000 ($26,000) as an average. We will estimate 1-month salary (1/12) for the 2-Test series & 2-month salary (1/6) for 5-Test series.
Case Studies & Quotes: Cost of Hosting a Test Match
Our estimates match with the interviews and situations that we have already seen. Here is the result of rising cost of hosting a Test match and the uneven monopoly of the Big 3 in world cricket today.
Situation 1: The COVID Comeback Season
The pandemic caused England to go to great measures to restart cricket.
For the West Indies and Pakistan series, they paid these countries £ 500,000 ($644,628) for charter flights. In addition, the per day cost was £ 238,000 ($306,842), while the season cost was 10 million pounds. One quote caught my eye.
“The good thing is they are England, and they expected to receive 120 Million pounds in ‘broadcast revenue.'”
Situation 2: Cricket Ireland Cancels Test Series
Ireland cancelled their plan of playing a Test match against Bangladesh and played a T20I instead.
“With the expected cost of hosting a Test estimated at 1 million pounds ($US 1.14 million), Cricket Ireland has chosen to prioritise white ball cricket ahead of the T20 World Cups.”
“The Yorkshire chairman and chief executive, Colin Graves, had said the county would not bid to host an Ashes Test in 2013 or 2015 because, at a cost of £ 1-2 million, ‘it would represent too great a financial risk.’ ‘
– The Guardian
Situation 4: South Africa’s Problems Continue
South Africa will not be playing many Tests in the next FTP. They have, however, hosted a successful SA T20, which gives them hope fo a financial revival.
“CSA earns a tenth of the money on a Test that it will earn for a white ball match.”
– Firdose Moonda
Situation 5: Afghanistan vs West Indies match ends within 3 Days, Costs Money Nevertheless
“Take the Afghanistan v West Indies game in Lucknow. It finished in two and a half days, but all the people working on it have been booked for the five days. The grounds, the staff, the food, everything…it’s probably cost them US $200,000 to $300,000. Perhaps more. And if your yearly grant is to the tune of $ 4 million, that means you have spent close to 10% of your [yearly] budget on playing one Test match.”
According to ESPN Cricinfo, it cost the Zimbabwe cricket board $1 million to host a two-Test series against the West Indies.
“We do lost a lot of money – about $300,000-$400,000, to host a Test series. It’s money we don’t have.”
– Tavenga Mukuhlani, ZC Chairman
Situation 8: Playing Against India & the Big 3 the Only Hope (which is not sustainable)
“Unless it is against the Big 3, Cricket New Zealand loses about $700,000.”
– The Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald
So, why do New Zealand, South Africa, & other countries lose money while hosting a Test series?
Expenses are only one part of the puzzle. Revenue is the other.
While the Big 3 has broadcasting profits on their sides, countries like Zimbabwe get as little as $1 million per season from sponsorship. A 2-Test series wipes out 20% of the annual reserves, and hence, they cannot afford to host Test matches.
The income, ticket sales, & sponsorship are not large income to balance the expenses of hosting a Test match.
Although New Zealand are a joy to watch in Test cricket and were also the winner of the inaugural WTC Final, they suffer from a similar economic fate.
What does the Future of Test Cricket Hold?
Revenue in cricket comes from (1) ticket sales, (2) broadcasting deals, (3) sponsorship deals, (4) ICC money, and (5) federal/state funding (depending on the country). While India is always on the net positive side due to their sheer volume of cricket fans, other countries unfortunately do not have similar infrastructure or fan following. Subsidizing Test cricket a part of a larger ICC Test fund has been suggested in the past, but is it enough?
Can Test cricket survive the rising costs? More importantly, will the ‘Middle 5’ – West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka continue their investment in Test cricket?
Test cricket is actually thriving these days (See, Bazball), but the business model of Test cricket is dying.
Something needs to change quickly.
Otherwise, Test cricket started with the Ashes. It may also end in ashes.
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What is Virat Kohli’s net worth? Virat Kohli’s total net worth in 2023 is estimated to be between $62-131 Million (Rs. 508-1075 Crore INR).
King Kohli’s net worth frequently sparks curiosity among cricket fans throughout the world.
As one of modern cricket’s greatest icons and being the world’s best batter for the better part of the last decade, it is no surprise that Virat Kohli has become one of the wealthiest athletes on the planet.
Virat Kohli Net Worth Case Study
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Virat Kohli’s net worth as a case study to understand the different ways cricketers can earn money.
This is the fifth piece in our series on analyzing Cricket’s Finances:
Virat Kohli Total Net Worth (Both Rupees and Dollars)
The inspiration for this article came from a report from Stock Gro, a social trading platform that was widely circulated on social media. They reported that Virat Kohli’s estimated net worth is about Rs. 1,050 crore (around $122 Million).
Today we break this down into little pieces (and try to fact check their estimates along the way).
Our Method and Sources on Virat Kohli’s Net Worth ($62-131 Million) Estimate
According to Forbes’s “The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023” list, soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo, is at #1 with a whopping $136 Million ($46 Million on-field earnings & $90 Million off-field earnings), while American football legend, Tom Brady, is at #50 with $45.2 Million earnings ($1.2 million on-field & $44 million off-field).
In the past, Kohli has been the only cricketer to have made the Forbes list (he has since dropped off and did not make the Top 50 of the Forbes 2023 list). He made the 2020 list as the #66th richest athlete in the world with $26 Million earnings ($2 Million – on field, $24 Million – endorsements). In addition, Virat Kohli made Sportico’s “100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2022” at #61 with $33.9 Million ($2.9 Million salary/winnings & $31 Million endorsements)
Conclusion: Based on these two trusted sources, Virat Kohli’s net worth based on on-field salary and off-field sponsorships cannot be greater than $45 million.
Virat Kohli’s Net Worth Breakdown
So, how can a cricketer earn money? A cricketer can earn money through annual contracts, match fees, IPL & franchise league salaries, post-match award earnings, properties, cars, and brand endorsements (sponsorships, paid tweets & Instagram posts, advertising, etc.)
Let’s get started and analyze each component of Kohli’s net worth.
*Note: We will use the conversion is as of 6/24/2023, where $1 US dollar is equal to Rs. 81.98 INR.
Between the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup, a three-format player like Virat Kohli had the potential to play 9 Tests, 27 ODIs, and 20 T20Is.
Test: Rs. 1.35 Crores INR ($164,674.35)
ODI: Rs. 1.62 Crores INR ($197.609.22)
T20I: Rs. 60 Lakhs INR ($73,188.6)
Putting it all together, Virat Kohli (or any Indian three-format international player) had the potential to earn a maximum of Rs. 3.57 Crores INR ($435,472.17) from match fees alone.
Here are the list of India’s matches over the past year:
Part 3: Virat Kohli Brand Endorsements ($41-110 Million)
Endorsements are where accurate information is a little difficult to find. Some of these estimates may be close, while others may be totally off the charts.
Kohli endorses at least 18 brands. If he does one-three days of shoot for each brand, then he earns a minimum of Rs. 135-360 Crores ($16.458-43.9 Million) per year. This is consistent with our guess that Kohli’s off-field earnings are below $45 million.
Brands Endorsed by Kohli: Vivo, Myntra, Great Learning, Noise, Wrogn, Blue Star, Fire Boltt, Too Yumm!, Volini, Luxor, HSBC, Uber, Toothsi, Star Sports, American Tourister, MRF, Tissot, Cinthol
In particular, we know that Virat Kohli has also signed major long-term deals as follows:
Virat Kohli MRF 8-Year Deal: Rs. 100 Crores INR ($12.196 Million) or Rs. 12.5 Crores INR ($1.5 Million) per year.
Virat Kohli Puma 8-Year Deal: Rs. 110 Crores INR ($13.409 Million) or Rs. 13.75 Crores INR ($1.68 Million) per year.
8. Paid Social Media Posts ($25-65 Million)
Another way for influencers to endorse brands is via paid tweets or Instagram posts.
Since June 2022, Virat Kohli has tweeted about 250 times. This can be divided into about 75 personal tweets and about 175 branded tweets, which amounts to about Rs. 437.5 Crore ($53,305,684.31) from Twitter.
Similarly, Kohli has posted about 240 Instagram posts since June 2022, 107 of which are paid partnerships. This results in a whopping Rs. 952.3 Crore ($116,162,478.65).
If this was true, Virat Kohli could earn over $169,468,162.96 in a year through social media posts alone! This seems slightly overboard.
According to Forbes, the highest earner on Instagram in 2019 was Cristiano Ronaldo with $47.8 Million (when he had 187 Million followers) and Lionel Messi earned about $23.3 Million from paid-Instagram posts. We can take an educated guess that Kohli also earns around $25-65 Million dollars from paid posts.
8. Businesses & Startups
Finally, a cricketer can earn money via investments and businesses.
Although we cannot estimate the exact amount of net worth Kohli derives from business initiatives, it could be another $10-20 million (Rs. 80-160 Crores INR). Since this is just speculation, we will not add it to the total net worth.
Here are the businesses Kohli is affiliated with.
Brands Owned: one8 commune (restaurant & athleisure brand), NUEVA (restaurant), WROGN (clothing), stepathlon (lifestyle), FC GOA, UAE Royals, Bengaluru Yodhas
Brands Funded: RAGE, Blue Tribe, Sport Convo, Universal Sportsbiz, Chisel, MPL, Digit, Hyperice
Final Thoughts – How Do Cricketers Earn Money?
These are not, however, all the ways cricketers can earn money.
For example, Ravichandran Ashwin, has a YouTube channel. In addition, current players like Dinesh Karthik & Stuart Broad participate in commentary stints during their off seasons, which adds to the income. This can add another $25,000-$100,000 to their total salary depending on the number of matches they commentate in.
Frequently Asked Questions – Virat Kohli Net Worth and Salary
What is Virat Kohli’s net worth?
Virat Kohli’s total net worth in 2023 is estimated to be between $62-131 Million (Rs. 508-1075 Crore INR).
What is Virat Kohli’s salary?
Virat Kohli has A+ contract worth Rs. 7 crores INR ($854,000) per year.
How much does Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pay Virat Kohli?
RCB retained Virat Kohli in 2022 for Rs. 15 Crores INR ($1.83 Million)
Today we will discuss the salary of a Major League Cricket player in the USA.
When it comes to professional sports in America, we often think of baseball, basketball, and football as the top dogs.
But there’s a new player in town that’s been gaining international attention: Cricket. Major League Cricket has been making waves in the sports world, especially with the growing popularity of T20 cricket. However, there’s one question on every cricket fan’s mind: just how much do these players make?
MLC Cricketer Salary – By the Numbers
The average salary of a Major League Cricket player (MLC) is $60,526 (maximum 19 players in squad with a purse of $1.15 million).
The average salary for a domestic Major League cricketer is $39,375 ($315,000 purse for a total of 8 domestic players). The average salary for an overseas MLC cricketer is $92,200 ($830,000 for nine overseas slots).
About $320,000 from the $1.15 million will be spent on the ten domestic players. Hence, $830,000 is remaining in the purse of each team to sign the nine overseas players. Note, that this amount may be skewed. According to a Daily Mail report, Jason Roy has been offered 300,000 pounds ($372,000) on a 2-year contract ($186,000/year). This means that LA Knight Riders, who signed Jason Roy, will be left with about $644,000 for their remaining 8 overseas signing (for an average of $80,500 per overseas player).
Major League Cricket (MLC) – How Much Was Each Draft Pick?
The Major League Cricket (MLC) draft was held earlier this year in the NASA Space Center in Houston.
The draft picks ranged from $10,000 (8th round pick) to $75,000 (1st round pick). Rookies were drafted in the 9th round (reportedly around $2,500) and an additional tenth player will be picked for each team following the Minor League Cricket (MiLC) season preceding the MLC.
Draft Pick
Salary Amount
Round 1
$75,000
Round 2
$65,000
Round 3
$50,000
Round 4
$40,000
Round 5
$35,000
Round 6
$25,000
Round 7
$15,000
Round 8
$10,000
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MLC 2023 Draft Picks – Salary of Major League Cricket Player
1. First Round Draft Pick ($75,000)
Harmeet Singh (Seattle Orcas), Andries Gous (Washington Freedom), Steven Taylor (MI New York), Corey Anderson (San Francisco Unicorns), Ali Khan (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Rusty Theron (Texas Super Kings)
2. Second Round Draft Pick ($65,000)
Shehan Jayasuriya (Seattle Orcas), Mukhtar Ahmed (Washington Freedom), Hammad Azam (MI New York), Liam Plunkett (San Francisco Unicorns), Unmukt Chand (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Calvin Salvage (Texas Super Kings)
3. Third Round Draft Pick ($50,000)
Shubham Ranjane (Seattle Orcas), Obus Pienaar (Washington Freedom), Ehsan Adil (MI New York), Tajinder Singh (San Francisco Unicorns), Jaskaran Malhotra (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Lahiru Milantha (Texas Super Kings)
4. Fourth Round Draft Pick ($40,000)
Cameron Gannon (Seattle Orcas), Saurabh Netravalkar (Washington Freedom), Nosthush Kenjige (MI New York), Chaitanya Bishnoi (San Francisco Unicorns), Nitish Kumar (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Milind Kumar (Texas Super Kings)
5. Fifth Round Draft Pick ($35,000)
Aaron Jones (Seattle Orcas), Saad Ali (Washington Freedom), Monank Patel (MI New York), Carmi Le Roux (San Francisco Unicorns), Corne Dry (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Sami Aslam (Texas Super Kings)
6. Sixth Round Draft Pick ($25,000)
Nauman Anwar (Seattle Orcas), Dane Piedt (Washington Freedom), Sarbjeet Singh Ladda (MI New York), Brody Couch (San Francisco Unicorns), Ali Sheikh (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Cameron Stevenson (Texas Super Kings)
7. Seventh Round Draft Pick ($15,000)
Phani Simhadri (Seattle Orcas), Sujith Gowda (Washington Freedom), Shayan Jahangir (MI New York), David White (San Francisco Unicorns), Saif Badar (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Cody Chetty (Texas Super Kings)
8. Eighth Round Draft Pick ($10,000)
Angelo Perera (Seattle Orcas), Justin Dill (Washington Freedom), Kyle Phillip (MI New York), Smit Patel (San Francisco Unicorns), Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Zia Shahzad (Texas Super Kings)
9. Ninth Round Draft Pick ($2,500)
Matthew Tromp (Seattle Orcas), Akhilesh Bodugum (Washington Freedom), Saideep Ganesh (MI New York), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (San Francisco Unicorns), Bhaskar Yadram (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Saiteja Mukkamalla (Texas Super Kings)
10. Overseas Signings ($60,000-$372,000)
The exact amounts for the overseas signings have not been disclosed yet. These are estimates based on reports and the purse allocated to each team.
Anrich Nortje, Wanindu Hasaranga, Marco Jansen, Glenn Phillips, Adam Milne (Washington Freedom)
Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis (San Francisco Unicorns)
Quinton de Kock, Wayne Parnell, Dasun Shanaka, Sikandar Raza (Seattle Orcas)
In conclusion, Major League Cricket players in the USA will be making a decent amount of money from MLC, a league that lasts only three weeks.
The average salary for a professional cricketer in the league ranges from $25,000 to $75,000, with the top players earning considerably more. While it may not match the salary of some of the top athletes in America, it is impressive for a sport that’s still finding its footing in the country.
As a fan of the sport, it’s exciting to see the potential for growth and success in Major League Cricket, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these talented athletes. With cricket’s popularity on the rise, it’s not a stretch to say that the league’s players could one day be just as well-compensated as their counterparts in football and baseball.
What is the average salary for a Major League Cricket (MLC) player in the USA?
The average salary of a Major League Cricket (MLC) player is $60,526. Each MLC team has a purse of $1.15 million for 19 players total (10 domestic, 9 overseas).
Is Major League Cricket (MLC) the richest cricket league in the world?
No, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest cricket league in the world. The MLC is the seventh richest cricket league in the world (based on average player salary).
How much money does Unmukt Chand earn in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA?
Unmukt Chand was picked for $65,000 as he was a second-round pick for the LA Knight Riders in the MLC player draft.
Who was the most expensive player in the MLC draft?
Harmeet Singh, Andries Gous, Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, and Rusty Theron were the most expensive players. They each earned $75,000 as the first draft picks.
Discussing the richest cricket boards is common in the world of cricket today.
Dwaine Pretorius becomes the latest to retire from internationals to focus on T20 leagues. He follows Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, and several others in becoming free agents. The SA 20 league, aka IPL in South Africa, has gained a lot of attention in being the ‘final hope’ for South African cricket. But why is that South African, New Zealand, and West Indies cricketers in particular are leaving international cricket?
It all boils down to the money. Today, we discuss the richest cricket boards in Part 4 of our series, Cricket & Finances. Here is quick overview:
The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is the richest cricket league in the world with an estimated $2 billion annual revenue. The BCCI is followed by the ECB (England & Wales Cricket Board) at $368 Million, and CA (Cricket Australia) at $270 Million in annual revenue. The CSA (Cricket South Africa) has revenues of $46 million, NZC (New Zealand Cricket) is at $42 million, and CWI (Cricket West Indies) is at $28 million. Those are not bad numbers, but exploring a bit in-depth, we see that CSA had a total comprehensive loss of $11.6 million, NZC suffered a loss of $4.6 million, and CWI incurred a loss of $10 million.
World’s Richest Cricket Boards (Lowest to Highest)
We looked at the financial statements and Annual Reports of each of these respective boards to come up with the revenue, expenditure, and total surplus/loss.The ranking of the national cricket board is displayed with the (annual revenue) and partners/sponsors.
*all figures are in $US dollars.
12. Zimbabwe Cricket – ZC ($5.5 Million)
Revenue:$5,520,442
Total Operating Costs:$6,953,991
Total Deficit:–$1,239,606 (LOSS)
Total Comprehensive Income (after surplus on lands and buildings): – $1,192,166
Is Zimbabwe Cricket profitable?No, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) is not profitable with a deficit of $1.1 million in 2020.
Based on Annual Reports & financial statements ending on 31 December 2020.
Partners
Banaqua, Swift, Zimpharm, Dandemutande, A May, Ihsan, Swift, Windmill Pvt Ltd
Is Afghanistan Cricket Board profitable?Yes, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is marginally profitable with a surplus of $390,000 in 2019 (breakeven).
*Note: This is based on the 2019 Annual Report, published in 2020. US withdrawal of Afghanistan occurred around August 2021. No new annual reports have been published since then.
Highlights from the 2019-20 Annual Report
“Afghanistan Cricket Board as the owner of the league spent around $369,000 for the implementation of the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL).
The distribution of revenue for ACB was as follows:
84% ICC Distribution
9% Government
4% Marketing
3% Shpageeza
Partners
Main Sponsor:Partner with ACB
National Team Sponsor:Super Cola
Official NFT:Rario
Cloth Manufacturing Partner:TYKA
IT Partner:Afghan Telecom
Other Partners:Asian Cricket Councial, ICC
SCL Sponsor: Etisalat
Main Jersey Sponsor:Diva Group
Medical Partner:Blossom Health Care
Beverage Partner:Habib Gulzar Limited
Umpires Jersey Sponsor:RTA Sports
Other Sponsors:Kam Air, Dafa News, Madava Hospital, Tayyab Yasir Limited, Refai Shaheen Construction Company
Retained earnings at the end of the financial year:310,166 ($333,000)
Based on Annual Reports & financial statements ending on 31 December 2021.
Is Cricket Ireland profitable?No, Cricket Ireland is not profitable with a deficit of 1,230,869 Euros ($1.3 Million). On the other hand, in 2020, the Cricket Ireland was profitable with a surplus of 1,537,632 Euros ($1.65 Million).
Partners
Main Sponsors & Men’s Shirts Rights Holder:ITWConsulting
Official Ireland Women’s Team Partner & Official Technology Partner:Hanley Energy
Official Airline Partner:Turkish Airlines
Official sponsor of Inter-Provincial Series:Test Triangle
Official IT Services Partner:Techfynder
Official Currency Exchange Partner:ClearCurrency
Official Partners:Amul, O’Neills, Ulster University, Tildenet, Club Travel, La Manga Club, ICC, Sport Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland, The Hope Foundation, Federation of Irish Sport, Arachas Insurance, Mansfield Sports Group
Total Revenue:7,994,291,865 SL Rupee ($22,022,843)
Total Expenses:5,883,380,298 SL Rupee ($16,207,659)
Net Surplus:2,138,726,491 SL Rupee ($5,891,809)
Total Comprehensive Income (after assets, taxes, actuarial gain, etc.): 2,478,605,198 SL Rupee ($6,8282,113)
Is Sri Lankan Cricket Board profitable? Yes, Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLCB) is profitable with a surplus of 2,478,605,198 SL Rupee ($6,8282,113) in 2021.
Based on Annual Reports & financial statements ending on 31 December 2021.
Highlights from the 2021 Annual Report
The distribution of SLCB’s revenue was as follows:
Total Income: PKR Rs. 6,330,842,117 ($27, 665,780)
Total Expenses:PKR Rs. 7,086,927,287 ($31 Million)
Total Deficit: -PKR 756,085,170 (-$3.3 Million) (LOSS)
Is Pakistan Cricket Board profitable? No, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not profitable with a deficit ofPKR 756,085,170 (-$3.3 Million) in the 2020-21 season.
Based on Annual Reports & financial statements ending on 30 June 2021.
*PKR Rs. denotes Pakistan Rupees
Commercial Partners
Men’s team:Pepsi, TCL, Parkview City
Women’s team: Pepsi
Commercial Partner:Trans Group
Broadcast & Live Streaming Partner: Ary Zap, Willow, Sony, Etisalat, Fox Sports, Flow Sports, SkySport, Sky Sports, ICC TV, SuperSport
Is the Bangladesh Cricket Board profitable? Yes, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was profitable in 2020 with a surplus of BDT 832,68,87,010 ($79.2 Million)
Based on AnnualGeneral Meeting 2021, which summarized CWI’s financial statements from 2020.
*BDT – Bangladesh Taka
Highlight from the 2017-2020 BCB Activity Report
“In the six years between 2011 and 2016 the Board had earned US $33.32 million in media, team sponsor, and other rights while in just three years from 2017 to 2020, the BCB’s earnings stood at approximately US $29 million from the same sources.”
Total Revenue:$66,401,000 NZD ($42, 217, 755.80 USD)
Total Expenditure:$46,496,000 NZD ($29,604,000 USD)
Total Surplus: $792,000 NZD ($504,000 USD)
Total Comprehensive Deficit (after Unrealized Loss and Valuation of Foreign Currency Hedging): – $6.7 Million NZD (- $4.26 Million USD)(LOSS)
Is New Zealand Cricket profitable?No, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is not profitable with a net deficit of $ 6.7 Million NZD ($ 4.26 Million USD) in 2021.
Based on the 2021-22 Annual Report and corresponding financial statements for fiscal year ending on 31 July 2022.
Highlight from the 2021-22 Annual Report
ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 – Surplus of $2.6 Million NZD ($ 1.653 Million USD)
$1.8 Million NZD ($1.14 Million USD) provided to support NZC’s High Performance Center.
“Over 95% of all NZC revenue is derived from our teams’ participation in these FTP and ICC events…”
NZCB Commercial Partners
Official Broadcast Partner:SparkSport
International Broadcast Partner:Pitch
Major Bank & Official Bank:ANZ
Official Vehicle Provider:Ford
Official Hotel Supplier:Accor
Official Supplier:Air New Zealand
Official Clothing Sponsor:Canterbury of New Zealand
Official Sports Drink:Powerade
Official Sponsor of NZ Cricket Umpires:G.J. Gardner Homes
Official Car Rental Partner:Hertz
Partner of the BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS (3 -year Deal): KFC
Official Radio & Digital Partner:MediaWorks
Official Partners:Gillette, Les Mills, Dulux, Asahi Beverages NZ
Funding Partners:Sports NZ, New Zealand Community Trust, Perry Foundation, Southern Trust
Total Revenue:778, 353,000 Rands ($45,767,156 USD)
Total Expenses:995,624,000 Rands ($58,492,910 USD)
Total Comprehensive Loss: -197,874,000 Rands ($-11,625,097 USD) (LOSS)
End of Year Balance (After adding up previous years’ savings):272 Million Rands ($16 Million)
Is Cricket South Africa profitable? No, Cricket South Africa was not profitable in 2021-22 with a net deficit of -197 Million South African Rands (loss of $11.625 Million US dollars).
Based on the 2021-22 Integrated Report and corresponding financial statements for fiscal year ending on 30 April 2022.
Highlights from the Integrated Report 2021-22
“The curtailment of the planned four T20 matches against India due to Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted CSA’s results, with a -R 250 Million (- $14.7 Million USD). This revenue loss was mitigated to a certain extent by committed cost reductions through all business areas, resulted in a reported loss of R198 Million ($11.6 Million USD).”
“CSA does not own cricket stadiums, so proceeds generated by these venues are shared, with CSA receiving 20% and stadium operators (CSA members) receiving 80%.”
Revenue Division
53% Broadcast Rights: 413 Million SA Rands ($24 Million)
33% ICC distribution: 256 Million SA Rands ($15 Million USD)
4% Sponsorships (Professional), 2% Sponsorships (Amateur): 52 Million SA Rands ($3 Million USD)
Is Cricket Australia profitable? Yes, Cricket Australia (CA) is profitable with a net surplus of $ 10.7 million AUD ($7.4 million USD) in 2021. Hence, Cricket Australia is on #3 in the richest cricket boards in the world.
Based on the 2021-22 Annual Report and Statement of Comprehensive Income for fiscal year ending on 30 June 2022.
Partners
Broadcast Partners:Fox Sports, Seven West Media, ABC Radio, Macquarie Radio Network, Sports Entertainment Network
International Broadcast Partners:Sony, Fox Sports Asia, beIN, BT Sport, Supersport, Kwese Sports, Sports Max, Flow Sports, Willow, ATN, SKY Network Television, National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea
Total Comprehensive Income:$20,751,000 Pounds ($25,229,066 USD)
Is the England & Wales Cricket Board profitable? Yes, England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is profitable. According to the 2021-22 Financial Statements, the ECB had a net surplus of $20.7 million pounds ($25.2 million US dollars). Hence, the ECB is the 2nd among the richest cricket boards on the planet.
Based on the 2021-22 Financial Statements for fiscal year ending on 31 January 2022.
Is the Board of Control for Cricket in India profitable? Yes, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is profitable with a net surplus of INR 529 Crore ($64.8 million US dollars). Furthermore, the profit has grown to an estimated $2 billion as of 2022.
Based on the 2016-17 Financial Statements for fiscal year ending on 31 March 2017.
Although official documents were limited to 2017, we investigated further based on Twitter data and media reports from reputable sources. For example, the infographic by Forbes India shows the mammoth growth in BCCI’s net worth between 2014 & 2018. BCCI’s net worth is shown to be INR 11,916.8 crore ($1.224 billion US dollars).
Since then, BCCI’s rise has been exponential. Here are some of the highlights of major rights and sponsorships, including the mammoth $6.2 billion IPL media rights between 2023-2027.
In conclusion, about $1.24 billion revenue will be achieved annually by the IPL media right alone. The ICC revenue and all of the other sponsorships will make up another billion (and will change everywhere as the negotiations with each sponsor changes). The BCCI is easily #1 on the list of the world’s richest cricket boards.
*Note: The estimated Revenue for ICC’s broadcasting income from the 2023 ODI World Cup is about $533.29 Million, from which $58.23-116.47 million is expected to be taxed by the Indian government.
Partners
India’s sponsors and partners are as follows:
Team Sponsor:BYJU’S: The Learning App
Official Broadcaster:Star Sports ($944 Million)
Title Sponsor:Mastercard
Official Partners:Dream11, Hyundai, Ambuja Cement, Killer Jeans(Kewal Kiran Clothing)
The only profitable cricket boards are the BCCI, ECB, CA, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLCB).
This is the concerning aspect. If the national body is not profitable, they have to cut back on salaries, systems, and leagues. This is exactly why South Africa are hoping that the SA20 league generates so much revenue that the surplus can raise players’ salaries and keep them in the domestic circuit.
How Do Cricket Boards Earn Money?
Cricket boards earn money in a variety of ways—ICC revenue, media rights, sponsorships, ticket sales, etc. Here is a visual from ESPNCricinfo illustrating the2016-2023 revenue distribution from the ICC to the top cricketing nations.
The SA20 Auction caught everyone’s attention this week, which leads to the logical question, “What are the Richest Cricket Leagues, and where does SA20 league rank?” Here is a quick answer.
The Indian Premier League is the richest cricket league in the world. As per the 2022 Mega Auction & Retention, the IPL paid its players a whopping $116,339,000 combined for its 234 players who play for their ten franchise teams in a three-month season. The upcoming UAE International T20 & SA20 rank behind at #2 & #3 in terms of player salaries, while the Abu Dhabi T10 League is at #10 with a $2,500,000 combined salary for about 100 players.
Times are changing, T20 cricket is becoming infused with money, and different leagues are popping left and right. The SA20 Auction threw Tristan Stubbs and co into stardom, the UAE international T20 League will be a game changer, and the Big Bash is trying to attract overseas talent in their much-hyped Draft while keeping domestic stars like David Warner.
Richest Cricket Leagues (Lowest to Highest)
Players now have choices, but maybe too many choices.As many as six leagues are scheduled between November & February. That is a daunting stat.
So, in Part III of our new series, Cricket & Finances, we try to help these players out & distinguish which leagues pay their players the most. We also cover the minimum salaries, average wages, total team salary cap, number of players a league can take, and the window it occupies in the cricket calendar.
Make Sure to Read the Earlier Content on Cricket & Finances
How The Overall Cost Was Calculated:For leagues where all the information is public (like IPL auction player by player cost), each player’s cost was added for the total.For leagues where only partial information was available, thefranchise’s maximum purse/salary cap was multiplied by the number of teams in that particular league.
*Note: This article covers individual player salaries, not tournament prize money.
11. Abu Dhabi T10 League ($2,500,000)
Abu Dhabi T10 League Average Cricketer Salary:$25,000
Minimum Wage:$5,000
Maximum Amounts:$50,000-$100,000
*$50,000 is the minimum amount paid for the highest category of player in the draft. However, to attract certain cricketers, the actual amounts may be higher.
Calendar Window:November-December
Salary Cap Estimate (Per Team): $400,000-$600,000
Number of Teams: 6
Total Players: 100-110 (16-18 players per team)
10. Lanka Premier League ($3,000,000)
Lanka Premier League (LPL) Average Cricketer Salary:$30,000
Maximum Amounts:$72,897 (BDT 80 Lakh) – Local Players, $80,000 – Overseas Players
Calendar Window:January-February
Salary Cap Estimate (Per Team): $371,000-$943,000
Number of Teams: 7
Total Players: 127 Players (as of BPL 2024)
*The BPL have suffered due to payments and franchise trouble in the last couple of years. In the earlier years, the BPL paid its foreign players up to $200,000 making it more lucrative than even the BBL. Now, the board has taken over the league instead of franchises.
Pakistan Super League (PSL) Average Cricketer Salary:$66,667
Minimum Wage:$7,500
Maximum Amounts:$170,000
Calendar Window:February-March
Salary Cap Estimate (Per Team): $1.2 Million
Number of Teams: 6
Total Players: 108 (18 per team)
Ramiz Raza has proposed changing the current drafts system (Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Emerging categories) to the auction formatand increase thesalary cap from $950,000 to $1.5 million. The salary cap is currently at $1.2 Million. Watch out for the PSL. This is a fast-rising league and will survive.
Indian Premier League (IPL) Average Cricketer Salary:$497,175
Minimum Wage:$26,000
Maximum Amounts:$2,133,000
Calendar Window:March-June
Salary Cap Estimate (Per Team): $11 Million (Rs. 90 crore)
Number of Teams: 10
Total Players: 234 (20-30 Per Team)
The mind-numbing thing to think about is that each IPL franchise has a larger salary cap space & auction purse is more than most other cricket leagues. Here are the details from the IPL 2022 Mega Auction.
Final Thoughts: The IPL is now having considerable influence in T20 leagues around the world. The same business groups are now buying stakes in foreign franchise leagues. This includes teams like Trinbago Knight Riders, MI Cape Town, MI Emirates, Dubai Capitals, etc.
Which are the Richest Cricket Leagues in the World?
Which is the richest cricket league in the world?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest cricket league in the world with an average player salary of $497,175.
What are the Top 5 richest cricket leagues in the world?
The Top 5 richest cricket leagues in the world (by average player salary) are the Indian Premier League (IPL), UAE International T20 League, SA T20 League, the Big Bash, and the Hundred.
How much money does each T20 league give their players?
T20 leagues contribute the following amount to their cricketers combined: 1. Indian Premier League ($116, 339,000) 2. UAE International T20 ($15,000,000) 3. SA T20 League ($13, 421, 200) 4. Big Bash League ($10,000,000) 5. The Hundred ($9,000,000) 6. Pakistan Super League ($5,700,000) 7. Bangladesh Premier League ($4,800,000) 8. Caribbean Premier League ($4,500,000) 9. Lanka Premier League ($3,000,000) 10. Abu Dhabi T10 League ($2,500,000) All prices above in $US Dollars.
How much money can a cricketer earn from each T20 league?
Average cricketer salaries per T20 league is as follows: 1. Indian Premier League ($497,175) 2. UAE International T20 ($138,889) 3. SA T20 League ($133,000) 4. Big Bash League ($75,000) 5. The Hundred ($75,000) 6. Pakistan Super League ($53,000) 7. Caribbean Premier League ($50,000) 8. Bangladesh Premier League ($40,000) 9. Lanka Premier League ($30,000) 10. Abu Dhabi T10 League ($25,000) All prices above in $US Dollars.
Technology in cricket has often been an area of debate. Ten pieces of technology have fundamentally changed how the game is played:
(1) The DRS, (2) Hawkeye, (3) Virtual Eye,(4) Snickometer, (5) Ultra-Edge, (6) Hotspot (7) LED stumps, (8) Spidercam, (9) Bushnell (sporting optics), and (10) Stump Mic.
Today, we look at several aspects of these technologies: Cost, impact, and history.
Why Do We Need Think About Technology in Cricket?
Let’s rewind our clocks to 21st March, 2018.
ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. Scotland vs West Indies. A spot in the World Cup on the line.
Over 31.4, Ashley Nurse to Richie Berrington: Berrington is adjudged LBW out by the umpire, but it would have definitely gone down the leg side.
There was no DRS.
Couple of overs later, rain arrived. West Indies beat Scotland by 5 runs (DLS method). Heartbreak for Scotland.
Jason Holder later said in the post-match presentation:
“That’s beyond my control. I think it’s a question for the ICC. At the beginning of the tournament, they set up the rules, and those rules are the rules we played with. It’s cricket. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it goes against you.”
– Jason Holder
Landscape of Cricket is Changing
In a tournament as important as the World Cup Qualifiers, there should be no excuse that technology is not used (not all games were televised either, but that is a separate issue).
So, why was DRS not used? It’s because implementing technology in cricket is expensive and not all cricket boards & broadcasters have that kind of money.
Cricket is going where the money is going. Franchise cricket is taking over the cricket calendar and players now have various choices in how to earn money (as they should).
Recently, in our Finances in Cricket section, we have explored:
We will now explore how money is utilized from the administration side of things. For example, how much money is needed to host a Test match as compared to limited over matches & franchise leagues?
However, in order to answer this question, we must first understand the economics of technology used. Let’s begin our exploration.
Technology in cricket is used predominantly for three reasons—Ball Tracking, Edge Detection, and Infrared Imaging.
The reason for the high costs for these technologies are as follows: (1) initial installation costs of the technology itself, (2) additional camera setup, (3) maintenance & staff costs to ensure the technologies run smoothly.
1. DRS (Decision Review System): $20,000-60,000 Per Day
What is the Full Form of DRS? What Does DRS Stand For?
DRS stands for Decision Review System.
The Decision Review System is the entire toolkit utilized via broadcasters to assist umpires during a cricket match. The DRS primarily helps in LBW decisions (ball tracking) & faint nicks (edge detection/hot spot).
How Much Does DRS Cost?
Minimum Cost: $12,000-15,000 per day (4 camera system)
Maximum Cost: $60,000-100,000 per day
Test Match Estimate: $300,000-$500,000 per Test ($600,000 – $2.5 million for a Test series depending on the amount of Tests and the technologies used).
World Cup 2023 Estimate: $2.8 million-$4.8 million (48 ODI matches)
Currently, a complete system of DRS costs approximately $100,000 per day. Hence, a full five-day Test match would cost around $500,000 and a five-match Ashes series will cost around $2.5 million. It was estimated that the 2021-22 full-package Big Bash league would cost around $2 million AUD ($1, 333, 600 USD) at an average of $32,787 AUD ($21,862 USD) per match for the 61 matches.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the Bangladesh Premier League in 2019 bought a DRS package without Snicko, Ultra-edge, and Hotspot for $75,000 per match (Just the Ball-tracking technology and ultra motion replays) and a full-package would have cost them $100,000 per match.
Currently, a team captain can review a decision up to two unsuccessful DRS decisions. In Test matches, the reviews are reset after 80 overs.
Impact/Features:
DRS has certainly impacted cricket for the positive. Although it has taken a few years to evolve, the DRS has definitely helped cricket in getting rid of the howlers (recall, 2008 Sydney Test).
It has also provided cricket yet another strategic aspect (think Headingly 2019 – Tim Paine Review). Finally, the DRS has changed the dynamics of the game. For example, spinners have drastically benefitted in LBW decisions since the beginning of the review system.
The most common DRS technology used is for Ball-Tracking purposes. Hence, the majority of DRS costs goes in the implementation of Hawk-eye.
2. Hawkeye
How Much Does Hawkeye Cost?
Hawkeye has been used in multiple sports—Tennis, Rugby, Gaelic Football, Soccer, NASCAR, etc.
In Gaelic Football, it was estimated that the installation cost of Hawkeye is 250,000 pounds ($317,600). It would take them a further 500,000 pounds ($635, 200) to run it the entire season.
With Hawk-eye, cricket broadcasters have data like never before.
In 2013, ESPNCricinfo integrated Hawkeye data with their live score coverage. This included addition of features such as: (1) Pitch Map, (2) Ball Speeds, (3) Beehive (trajectory of the ball), (4) variable bounce, and (5) Wagon Wheel.
Virtual Eye is the other ball-tracking company based in New Zealand.
How Does Virtual Eye Work?
According to Virtual Eye (also known as Eagle Eye), they utilize the “high-frame rate cameras” to “track the centre of the ball in every frame…[Their] software then calculates the precise ball track in 3D space and predicts the path once the release, bounce, and impact points are known.”
Impact/Features:
Similar to Hawkeye, Virtual Eye provides (1) Wagon Wheels, (2) Pitch Maps, (3) Six Distances, (4) 3D Flyovers, and (5) ball tracking.
In the BPL report, they paid for $75,000 instead of $100,000 and missed out on Hotspot, Snicko-meter, and Ultra-Edge.
It is known that Hotspot costs around $10,000. However, due to concerns with the technology (silicone tape/other bat coatings could fool the system), it has not been used unanimously in the DRS packages over the years.
4. Snicko-meter (Real-time Snicko – RTS)
How Much Does Snicko-meter Cost?
How Does Snicko-meter Work?
The snicko-meter utilizes the stump mic and measures sound waves (via an oscilloscope).
The technology is made effective with split-screen display (one showing the waves in the snicko-meter & the other displaying slow motion camera). This ensures the sound corresponds to the nick of the bat.
Ultra-edge is Hawkeye’s version of the Snicko. After the 2015 testing with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston, USA, it was accepted by the ICC. In particular, Ultra-edge can differentiate between the sounds of clothing, bat, and pad.
With a four-camera setup, Hotspot uses infrared thermal imaging technology to detect where the ball hits.
Impact/Features:
The pros of HotSpot was that it could catch even the faintest of edges. However, the inventor himself had doubts o the validity of the HotSpot during the 2013 Ashes since coating on bat can prevent HotSpot to be displayed.
Is one possible faint nick worth $10,000 per match?
There are other technologies that have enhanced the level of cricket broadcasting over the past decade: Helmet cameras, Stump Mics, LED Stumps, SpiderCam, etc. These technologies are not necessarily part of the DRS and, we may not have all the cost information.
Although I could not find the exact cost of the Spidercam, I bet this can cost the broadcasting companies upwards of hundreds of thousands or even a few million dollars.
How does the Spidercam Work?
The Spidercam tries to offer a ‘bird-eye’s view’ on the cricket ground. It is made possible with a cable suspended camera system. This helps the camera move in multiple directions.
On Amazon, Bushnell range finder for golf costs anywhere from $100-300. For professional sporting equipment, it may be a bit more expensive.
How does the Bushnell Work?
A range finder is used to measure distances of remote objects and has been used in the military and golf.
Watch this videoof Simon Doull explaining in a Cricbuzz discussion that the range finder plots from the “middle of the ground to the grandstand and tiers of the grandstand. It’s not where the ball might have landed.”
Impact/Features:
With T20 cricket, displaying the distance of sixes has become central to broadcasting needs.
10. Stump Mic
Impact/Features:
Stump microphones are placed near the stumps and pick up sounds like edges (important for snicko & Ultra-edge to work) as well as sledges & Rishabh Pant singing spider man main theme song.
Bonus
PitchVision
Their catch phrase is “technology used in the highest level of the game is now available for everyone to use.”
2008 – DRS is first experimented in the India-Sri Lanka Test series. Virtual Eye technology made an error in Virender Sehwag’s dismissal. Dilshan was given not out due to lack of evidence. Doubts crept in.
2009 – Review system started to be officially implemented in Test matches (with agreement from both teams)
2018 – ICC Women’s World Twenty20 first ICC T20 World Cup to feature the DRS
Who Pays for These Technologies?
In the early days of the DRS, the broadcasters of the home team used to take most of the responsibility of these costs.
Now, the payment is usual divided between the home team cricket board & the broadcasters. However, as the review system gets further uniformed around the world (especially with World Cups and major tournaments), the ICC has started to bear some of the responsibility and subsidize the overall cost.
Final Thoughts
Although cricket might not have as much broadcasting prowess as other sports like American football, but it is certainly in the right direction. I hope more independent companies can chime in as well, which may help reduce the costs. The competition may also drive better products.
I also hope that the ICC can make uniform regulations and can cover the costs, especially in major tournaments like the World Cup Qualifiers.
What is the difference between Ultra-edge & snickometer in cricket?
Ultra-edge is Hawkeye’s version of the snicko.
What does DRS stand for?
DRS stands for Decision Review System.
Why is Hotspot technology not used in cricket anymore?
HotSpot technology is not used in cricket anymore due to doubts about the validity of the technology. Bat coating & silicone tape can hide the image detection on Hot Spot.
