Rahul Dravid declines hike in prize money to stay on-par with other coaching staff

In a novel move, former Indian cricket team’s head coach Rahul Dravid refused a hike in his prize money after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to award him on par with the players’ hike.

Dravid was initially offered INR 2.5 crore as the prize money which was later hiked to INR 5 crore, on par with the players’ prize money. All the other support staff were offered INR 2.5 crore as prize money.

However, Dravid said he was happy to settle for the original amount (INR 2.5 crore) along with other members of the coaching staff.

The BCCI said it was a goodwill gesture from the 51-year-old former Indian captain.

The BCCI, on Wednesday, announced Gautam Gambhir as the next head coach of the Indian cricket team.

Meanwhile, there are reports of an Indian Premier League franchise in talks with Dravid to be their mentor. Notably, Gambhir was Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor for the 2024 season, which they won, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

Dravid’s original tenure as team India’s head coach ended after the 2023 ODI World Cup, in which India lost to Australia in November last year. However, the-then captain Rohit Sharma and the core leadership group convinced Dravid to stay on till the ICC T20 World Cup in June 2024.

The 51-year-old made it clear with the BCCI that he wasn’t keen on an extension as he wanted to spend time with his family, given how hectic the past couple of years were. Dravid could take up the role of mentoring an IPL team, given that it is only a few months of work every year.