By IANS
Mumbai : The renewal of Indian cricketers' contracts, which expired seven months ago, could be deferred by another month, a top official said here Friday.
The players' annual contracts, which expired in September, were supposed to be signed before the team leaves for Bangladesh Sunday. The drafts had been sent to their homes some days ago.
But Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said Friday that if the players decline to sign over some contentious clauses, the contract renewal could be deferred till after the tour ends May 29.
"If the players do not sign the contract the board will sort it out after the Bangladesh tour," said Shah.
There are indications the players are not ready to sign the contract in its present form and want amendments in certain clauses.
One clause is believed to be the restriction on the number of endorsements (three) that a player can do at a time.
"I have no information on this. I am going to Kolkata the day after tomorrow (Sunday), and if the players have any reservations, they will let me know," said Shah.
"Contracts have been offered to every player and Rs.500,000 is the (annual) retainership amount. In future, each player when selected for an international tour will have to sign a contract."
The Indian players are attending a conditioning camp in Kolkata for the Bangladesh tour that starts May 10.
After the World Cup debacle, the BCCI scrapped the graded contract system, according to which the players were divided into three groups and received different amounts.
Those in A got Rs.5 million, group B players received Rs.3.5 million and those in C group got Rs.2 million. This was besides the match fees for Tests and One-day Internationals.
Now, besides the retainership, a player will also receive approximately Rs.250,000 for a Test match and Rs.150,000 for a One-Day International.
No player has been paid any money since the old contract expired in September.
India will play three ODIs in Bangladesh, starting May 10, followed by two Test matches.