Deadlock over central contracts?

Certain Indian players are reportedly unhappy with the terms of the central contracts offered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and could put off signing them until a clause relating to personal endorsements is removed.

According to a report in The Khaleej Times, the players do not want to disclose their personal endorsement and sponsorship details to the board. The BCCI has inserted a clause in the contracts which requires them to do so, and most players are said to be unwillingly to go along.

SK Nair, the board secretary, said that the contracts had been mailed to the cricketers, but the general opinion is that they would sign only once the clause pertaining to personal endorsements was removed. There were other areas of conflict too, but none as serious as this.

Some players were said to be unhappy about squad members being paid only 50 percent of what those on the field would be. They had asked for 70 percent, but the board had insisted that the bench-strength would only be paid half as much. The players had also asked for 20 to be offered central contracts. So far, the BCCI have only considered 17, though they haven't ruled out the possibility of more players being added to the list.

Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain, didn't attend the meeting which was held to discuss the awarding of the central contracts last Sunday. It's believed that Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, who were central to the initial negotiations, also declined to attend.

The Khaleej Times suggests that Nair was among those not inclined to offer a grade A contract to Kumble, but Syed Kirmani, the chairman of the selection panel, pushed it through after Jagmohan Dalmiya also insisted that Kumble be rewarded for his services to the game in India.