The Hindu : Sport : Endorsement issue: provision for seniors

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Monday, Apr 09, 2007
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Endorsement issue: provision for seniors

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: The senior players in the Indian team, who are committed to product endorsements exceeding three in number, would not come under the caveat ordered by the Working Committee of the BCCI here on Saturday.

Captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh have long-term contracts with more than three corporates.

"We have asked for the existing contracts from players and those who have more than three cannot enter into fresh endorsements. We are going to study all the contracts to ensure that none of it is performance related," said a senior BCCI official.

Retainership

The official also clarified that retainership would be awarded to cricketers who form the 25 or 30 member pool, although Sunil Gavaskar feels that only those who are certainties should be employed on retainership. Fresh annual contracts will be offered to only those players who furnish details of their endorsements to the BCCI.

The BCCI is yet to work out the retainership, match fees and bonus earnings details for both ODIs and Tests but the match fees — as recommended by Rahul Dravid — of Rs. 1.60 lakhs for an ODI and Rs. 2.40 lakhs for Tests is likely to be maintained.

In the previous contract, players received a retainership of Rs. 50 lakhs (Grade A), Rs. 35 lakhs (Grade B) and Rs. 20 lakhs (Grade C) and different sums as match fees for home and away internationals matches.

Two years ago, a few players opposed a proposed sum of Rs. 60 lakhs to Grade A players. The BCCI modified the sum to Rs. 50 lakhs for Grade A and split Rs. 10 lakhs to Grade B and C players.

"The new system will encourage the team to perform well, win matches and augment their remuneration,'' said an official.

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