Over $350,000 paid to players in the last 60 days – USAC Director Ajith Bhaskar

USA Cricket Director Ajith Bhaskar has expressed utter disbelief over reports of player payments being delayed and cites ‘malicious propaganda’ to create an anti-incumbency factor in the ongoing elections for the post of Club Director and Independent Director. Bhaskar himself is contesting to be re-elected as the Club Director while another incumbent Suraj Vishwanathan is running again for the post of Independent Director.

“USA Cricket and ACE have jointly made player payments of over $350,000 in the last 60 days. Each and every player has been paid up to date barring the U19 as we seek to work out those special financial arrangements directly with their parents. It is shocking to see such malicious propaganda being played out in the open to discredit us by some of our very own in the board with misleading facts surrounding board operations,” said Bhaskar.

Cricbuzz learns that most of the player salaries have now been restored to pre-pandemic levels with at least nine players from the current squad earning upwards of $75,000 per annum on their contracts while maintaining the minimum salary threshold to $50,000.

Bhaskar goes onto state that the contract payments have also been backdated to January, meaning all the players who were subjected to around $2000 a month due to ‘covid impact’ have now been additionally paid for the months January to June to meet their new monthly salaries.

Bhaskar expressed his regret over the timing of the controversy in the wake of the men’s team being on the cusp of a T20 World Cup berth and the U19 women’s triumph in the Rising Stars T20 competition, locking horns against the West Indies domestic women U19 sides.

“We are only a game away from the country’s biggest cricketing moment in the history and with our U19 women’s spectacular championship run, it’s an unnecessary distraction for the entire USA cricket fraternity, let alone the players. The Minor league is bigger and better this year. It almost feels like people with ulterior motives do not want to pay heed to all the development work that’s been carried out here and indulge in petty gimmicks” added Bhaskar.

In a lawsuit levelled by Individual Director Venu Pisike and Male Player Director Srini Salver over an alleged illegal constitutional amendment which sought the removal of Marathe as the chairman of the board, Bhaskar was among one of the defendants along with Suraj Vishwananthan, then CEO Iain Higgins, interim chairman Parag Marathe, League Director Sushil Nadkarni and independent director Catherine Carlson. The lawsuit was withdrawn after over a year, post which Marathe decided to abdicate his post after a suitable candidate is found. (Cricbuzz)