BCCI to discuss endorsements with players

The Indian board (BCCI) has decided to relax the limit on endorsement deals a player can enter into and will fix a cap on product endorsements after discussing the issue with the players.

"The cap will be there of course but how much, that would be decided only after talking to the players," Rajeev Shukla, the board vice president, told PTI.

Shukla said that the board had decided on limiting endorsements because of a widespread belief that it was affecting the players' performance. "Even the former captains invited to the recent Working Committee meeting in Mumbai felt the same. That's why we decided to put a cap on that," he said.

As part of reviewing India's World Cup failure, the BCCI's Working Committee had decided to, among other things, allow only three endorsements per player. Former captains of India who met with the committee had suggested that players take the board's permission before entering into a contract.

As rumors spread about a standoff between the players and the board Rahul Dravid, the current captain, issued a media release clarifying that there was no conflict between the two. "The interests of the players and the BCCI are inclusive and not exclusive," Dravid had said.

The board, at that meeting, had also issued show-cause notices to Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh for their comments to the media on former coach Greg Chappell. Shukla said today that the board had only sought an explanation from the players on whether they had really made the comments.

Shukla also rubbished claims that some senior players including Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly would not be part of the squad to Bangladesh. "The selectors have not met yet and it would be up to them to decide who will go and who not," he said. "You can't predict it now." On being asked if Ravi Shastri would continue as the team manager after the Bangladesh tour, Shukla said that Shastri had been appointed manager only for the tour because of his media commitments.