BCCI, players to meet to settle contract issue

Kolkata, May 4 (UNI) Barely 24 hours before Team India leave for Bangladesh tour, the players and the BCCI top brass will meet to end the contract row that has left the players without payment for the last seven months.

For now, the BCCI's position is that the players must sign before Team India's departure. The 15-man ODI squad leaves on May 7, while the seven Test specialists are expected to start seven days later.

The onus will be on senior players namely Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble to see that the whole bunch signing the central contract get the best deal.

The BCCI has offered a contract to the players that deny them a share from their revenue. Earlier, the BCCI doled out 30 per cent of their gross revenue to the players. The players on national and domestic roster got 13 per cent each of the revenue, while the junior cricketers got four per cent each.

The players are not taking this move in right earnest, for which they are not being paid since October last. BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah and Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty are coming over to Kolkata to meet the players ahead of the departure of the ODI team on Monday.

What the BCCI has offered could be quite lucrative if the team gets into the habit of winning matches. According to the contract, the players get huge bonus from the Board per match and series they win.

The team bonus for winning an ODI series at home is Rs 50 lakhs, while the kitty is Rs 75 lakhs when the Men in Blue take the victory lap after winning a series abroad. A player also gets Rs 3 lakh playing an ODI at home and Rs 4 lakh playing it in abroad as match fees. The reserves get 50 per cent of the amount.

The BCCI has also done away with the gradation system, which means even rookies like Manoj Tewari, and Rajesh Powar will be entitled to the central contract. Previously, a player had to play a minimum of three Tests or five ODIs to be entitled to such contract.

BCCI insiders are hopeful that the contract issue will be resolved before the players board the plane for Bangladesh. It's just a matter of talking to the cricketers, sources said.

UNI