Indian player contracts formalised

The long-awaited central contract system for Indian cricketers was finally formalised today, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India announcing a three-tier payment structure for 17 players.

The list contains all the expected names, with Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh making it into the top group. Murali Kartik, who has been awarded a Group-C contract, is the only outsider to have found favour, but as India play the bulk of their international cricket at home next season - where a third spinner could be handy - his inclusion is understandable.

Rohan Gavaskar and Dinesh Karthik are the only players missing from the squad that played in Champions Trophy, while Aakash Chopra and Parthiv Patel have been slotted into Group C.

While the terms and conditions of the contracts were worked out quite some time ago, the names were finalised at a meeting of the gradation committee of the BCCI at Kolkata today. The contracts are expected to be signed on September 28. Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is set to step down as BCCI president on September 29, said the contracts will be reviewed on September 30 next year.

Dalmiya also said that three more contracts were likely to be awarded during the course of the year, taking the total number to 20, and it will include all those who have played at least three Tests or three one-dayers.

Players in Group A will receive a retainer of Rs 5,000,000 each, those in Group B Rs 3,500,000, while Group C players will get Rs 2,000,000, in addition to the match fee.

There has been a minor adjustment in the match fee structure. In the earlier system players were paid flat fee of Rs 240,000 per Test and Rs 210,000 per one-day international. They will now receive Rs 200,000 for a home Test and Rs 240,000 for Tests abroad and Rs 160,000 for a one-dayer played at home and Rs 185,000 per overseas ODI. Those on the bench will receive 50% of the match fee.

Group A:
Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh.
Group B:
Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Group C:
Parthiv Patel, Aakash Chopra, Murali Kartik.