Nitin Menon, a member of the ICC Elite Panel, is one of ten officials included in the BCCI umpires’ newly established A+ grade.
Four International Umpires—Anil Chaudhary, Madangopal Jayaraman, Virender Kumar Sharma, and K N Ananthapadmabhanan—are among the others in the A+ category. The A+ category also includes Rohan Pandit, Nikhil Patwardhan, Sadashiv Iyer, Ulhas Gandhe, and Navdeep Singh Sidhu.
Twenty umpires, including C Shamshuddin, make up the A group, followed by 11 in Group D, which includes 60-65 year olds, 60 in Group B, 46 in Group C, and 60 in Group D.
Following the work done by former international umpires K Hariharan, Sudhir Asnani, and Amiesh Saheba, as well as members of the BCCI umpires’ subcommittee, the full list was presented during the Apex Council meeting on Thursday.
For a first-class game, umpires in the A+ and A categories are paid Rs 40,000 per day, while those in the B and C categories are paid Rs 30,000 per day.
Although the list was described as a “grading of umpires,” a BCCI representative explained that the board had really established groups.
“It’s not a grade. There are certain groupings where the new category is A+. A+ and A are considered to be the best Indian umpires. Umpires in categories B and C are also competent. “Preference shall be given group-wise when it comes to assigning duties across domestic competitions, commencing at the top with the Ranji Trophy. After considering the 2021–2022 season’s performances, the grouping was made,” the official added.
Since 2018, the board has not added any new umpires to its roster. The BCCI has decided to hold a full-fledged domestic season after two years due to the declining danger of COVID-19. The board intends to organise 1832 men’s and women’s cricket games for all age levels, which is a huge undertaking. In the widely watched IPL, the quality of Indian umpires is frequently criticized.
Menon is the lone Indian on the ICC elite panel. The BCCI official said, when asked if more umpires were making it to the top tier: “We put too much focus on the elite panel. In the top panel, only England has three umpires; Australia has two, while the other countries have just one. There is just so much you can have.“
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
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