New Delhi, Jan 12 (PTI) Batting great Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday said that Ranji Trophy will remain a "poor cousin" of the cash-rich IPL until the player's match fee in the country's premier first-class tournament is substantially increased.

A player now gets approximately Rs 2.5 lakh per match in the Ranji Trophy, a far cry from the meagre salary the cricketers would withdraw not long ago, but still the amount is no match to the millions the IPL stars earn.

"IPL dominates Ranji Trophy. Unless there match fees are increased substantially, it will be considered an orphan and poor cousin of Indian cricket," Gavaskar said.

The legendary batsman, who captained India to the famous 1985 Benson & Hedges World Series triumph in Australia, was speaking during the 26th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lecture in the national capital.

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