Guwahati, Nov. 29: Punjab’s first-class cricketers could soon become the envy of other players of the game from across the country.

In a pathbreaking move, the Punjab Cricket Association has offered its unemployed first-class cricketers above the age of 19 a retainership of Rs 5,000 a month till they get a permanent job.

This is part of the PCA’s efforts to infuse professionalism among its players, who are currently engaged in an intense Ranji Trophy battle with Assam at the Nehru Stadium here.

The PCA executive, which approved the policy nearly a month ago will, in return, seek the services of the beneficiaries for cricketing activities that includes conducting clinics at its various centres during the off season, said Sushil Kapoor, stand-in Ranji coach of Punjab.

“Since jobs have dried up in the past few years, the PCA hit upon this policy to keep the unemployed players motivated and focussed to do well for themselves and the team. This would also groom them into true professionals,” he said.

“Punjab probably will be the first state to have such a policy. We are also thinking about performance-linked incentives,” Kapoor, a former armyman standing in for coach Bhupinder Singh, told The Telegraph here. The contract will be renewed every year.

None of the unemployed players in the present Ranji squad has signed the contract as yet, but they will do so before the home one-dayers early next month.

Promising left-arm medium-pacer Amit Uniyal, one of the eight players with jobs in the present team, said the new policy would be a big relief.

“Life for first-class players is not a bed of roses. This is a laudable policy and it will give the players a much-needed financial cushion. It will also increase competition for berths in the team,” he said.

The policy will be of big help to teammates Sandeep Sawal, Harish Puri, Samrat Sharma, Ankur Kakkar, Vineet Sharma, Rajesh Sharma and Harminder Jugnu.

The retainer will supplement the match fees from the first-class squad they figure in.

“A regular player can now expect to make up to anything in excess of Rs 1.5 lakh, which is pretty reasonable by any accounts,” the stand-in Punjab coach said.

States like Assam, where there is a sizeable cricket following, should also implement the policy, he added.