It is true that as India has become the global economic hub of cricket, and its financial powerhouse, the money given to players in local tournaments has also improved. But for a long time this money lagged behind what was given to county cricketers in England, who play in 18 teams. The money in England was much better than that in India in those years. We know that because the last generation of Indian players (like Rahul Dravid for Kent, Sourav Ganguly for Glamorgan and Sachin Tendulkar for Yorkshire) all did stints in county cricket.