BCCI appoints two-man team to study player contracts

With the Indian team gearing up for the Bangladesh series, the contracts issue has been temporarily put into the back-burner © AFP Enlarge

The Indian board has appointed a two-member team to study the contentious players' contracts issue and arrive at an amicable solution. The committee will comprise of N Srinivasan, the BCCI treasurer, and Shashank Manohar, one of the vice-presidents of the board.

The contracts controversy has been in the limelight since India's dismal display in the World Cup, but with India's tour of Bangladesh starting in four days, the issue has been put on the back-burner for the moment. Rajiv Shukla, the board spokesman, indicated that the emphasis is now on the on-field performance over the next three-and-a-half weeks.

"With the Bangladesh tour a few days away, the focus has to be on doing well on the field. These matters can always be settled amicably," Shukla was quoted as saying in The Hindu. Shukla made these comments after a meeting with Sharad Pawar, the board president, on Saturday.

Following India's early exit from the World Cup, the board has proposed a contracts system which reduces the fixed component and increases the performance-based component. Under the proposal, the basic retainer fee will reduce to Rs 5 lakhs [US$ 12,300 approx] , while the match fees will be Rs. 1.5 lakh per ODI and Rs. 2.5 lakh per Test. Apart from that, the proposal suggests significant bonuses for victories, with an addition amount for winning Test series. The players, though, have expressed their reservations about the new system and have sought changes.

Meanwhile, the daily also reported that a decision on the new coach for the team will be taken in the third week of May. Following Greg Chappell's decision not to renew his contract after the World Cup, Ravi Shastri was named cricket manager, but only for the tour of Bangladesh. The three-ODI, two-Test series starts on May 10 and concludes on May 29.