ICL players claim BCCI owes payments of Rs 1.27 crore

Banned by the BCCI for having signed up with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2007, 64 Indian cricketers are still waiting to be paid dues worth millions of rupees they claim the Indian board owes them for matches played on the official domestic circuit before they joined the unauthorised venture. Even as officials of the Indian board and the various state associations pass the buck among themselves, the ICL says it will take up the players' case.

Records maintained by ICL showed the dues in the form of match fees and prize money - in 2006-07 and from 2005-07 in some cases - amounting to over Rs 1.27 crore. Cricinfo was given access to the records but the figures have not been independently verified. However, non-ICL players that Cricinfo spoke to confirmed that they had received their dues for the same period from their respective state associations - typically six to eight months from the close of a season.

The players include promising youngsters like Abshishek Jhunjhunwala, and veterans like Hemang Badani, the former India allrounder, and Deep Dasgupta, the former India wicketkeeper. The list also includes Rohan Gavaskar, son of Sunil Gavaskar, a member of the IPL governing council. According to ICL records, the dues range from Rs 16,000 to Rs 15 lakh in the case of Jhunjhunwala.

When contacted, Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said the matter needed to be dealt with by the respective state associations who are given funds every year by the board to pay their players' fees.

"As far as the board is concerned, all dues for players who have played in BCCI-organised tournaments must be paid," he said. "But it's up to the state associations to pay the money because they are the ones who claim money from the board to be paid to their players. The associations or the players don't seem to have understood the situation properly (in this case)."

The players Cricinfo spoke to said they were only demanding the money they deserved for having played in the Ranji, Duleep and Deodhar tournaments, apart from the shares in prize money in some cases.

"They have to treat us like human beings," said Badani, who, ICL records show, is due to be paid Rs 2.52 lakh by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), though the former Indian player claims the figure is closer to Rs 7 lakh.

"None of us have got any dues," he said. "In my case, apart from the Ranji Trophy matches and one-day games before I joined the ICL, I have been denied my share of the prize money for being part of the winning Twenty20 team. I have spoken to KS Viswanathan, the TNCA secretary, but am yet to get a reply."

The player had also sent an official letter to the TNCA but was yet to get a firm reply. "Of course, they may be angry with me or disappointed because they had nurtured me from the beginning, from the age-group stage. I can understand the anger and the hurt, but not the silence. There has to be a basic decorum, some correspondence,"

Vishwanathan, in his response said, "I will have to check and get back to you on this" but could not be reached thereafter.

Dasgupta, the former Indian wicketkeeper also felt hard done by. With the ICL records showing Rs 3.32 lakh in dues from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), he had reason to be disappointed.

"It's something we have all worked hard for most of our lives," said the former Indian wicketkeeper. "We have done well for the state, we have put in the effort and all the hard work. We know there are problems with the ICL, and we understand the state association's position. But I am sure the CAB feels that this is unjustified. It's a 'Catch 22' situation for the association because of the BCCI. We qualify for the money, but we haven't heard from them at all."

A local administrator from the CAB insisted the delay was not due to any particular anti-ICL policy. "This is an administrative delay. Over the last one and-a-half months, the CAB has been busy with the association elections. I suggest the cricketers send the CAB an official reminder and the new set of office-bearers will take up the matter."

"We [the new regime] have just taken over and it's difficult for me to comment at this stage without studying the issue," said Subir Ganguly, the new treasurer of the CAB.

Similarly, Alfred Absolem, the all-rounder who plays for Hyderabad Heroes, said he had been told by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) that the BCCI hasn't passed on the money to be paid to ICL players.

"I have requested senior officials of the HCA for the money, but they say the BCCI hasn't given them any money to pay the ICL players. I believe it's our hard-earned money and we deserve it," he said.

Shivlal Yadav, the secretary of the HCA, was quick to point a finger towards the BCCI. "If we receive the money from the BCCI, we will make the payment within two days," he said. "But if the board doesn't pay the money, I can't pay from our own account, can I? We have cleared all dues up to last year." However, he refused to comment on whether those paid included ICL players.

ICL records show that the problem is not limited to cricketers from Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad or Bengal. The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) owes Reetinder Sodhi, the former India under-15 captain and currently playing for the Ahmedabad Rockets in the ICL, Rs 1.8 lakh.

"It is very disappointing and frustrating," Sodhi said. "We believe that non-ICL players have got their money, but we are still waiting. It's always there in the back of our minds because we deserve it. We have put in so much hard work for the state, and nobody can deny that."

Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL's executive board, believed the players had been "treated like outcasts" and accused the associations of succumbing to pressure from the BCCI in holding back the money that the players rightfully deserved.

Himanshu Mody, the business head, said the league may have to approach the courts if these dues were not paid within a reasonable timeframe.

One of the ICL executive board members, Kiran More, however, believed that not all the associations had held back the payments. "It's a mixed bag and some associations remain adamant," he said.