May 06, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1428

MUMBAI, May 5: India's cricketers have refused to sign the player contracts put forward by the BCCI and appear to be on a collision course with the board over the same. It was a situation waiting to happen after several clauses in the new deal were found unacceptable by the players.

Even as the Indian team faces a battle to salvage their tattered reputation in Bangladesh, they have made up their mind to not let the BCCI have it all their way on the contracts dispute. According to highly placed BCCI sources, the players are unwilling to sign the new contracts in its present form.

“If any player has an objection to the contracts offered, they have to tell us where, but anyway I can't take this decision, the decision is to be taken by the committee. And if the contracts are not signed and they want to have more discussions, we will decide after the Bangladesh tour," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said on Saturday.

Players have been offered an annual retainer of Rs 5 lakh each. Earlier of course, a graded system was in place where players were paid Rs 50, 35 or 20 lakh per year according to their seniority. The new contracts limit a player to three endorsements each, another clause that they find unacceptable.

The players share in the BCCI profits has also been reduced. Instead, a system of performance-based bonus has been put in. "After all, we all like to win and because of the performances of the team, the Board felt that we must go for the performance oriented contracts. And that is how the whole thing has come up," Shah added.

In case they don't budge, the BCCI will wait for the Bangladesh tour to end before taking their next step.—Agencies