BCCI finally clears players' central contract payments

The central contracts of the Indian cricketers were finally cleared by the BCCI at the Special General Meeting (SGM) here today, ending a period of uncertainty ahead of their long tour of the UK.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) had announced the revised players' contracts on March 7 but BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary had refused to sign them saying it needed the General Body's approval which came through in the meeting attended by representatives of 28 state associations.

Today's SGM did not have the required go ahead from the COA and it remains to be seen what the court-appointed panel makes of the resolutions adopted in the meeting.

"Despite doubts, the SGM has taken place. All resolutions have been passed by the General Body unanimously," said Choudhary.

One thing for certain is that players will finally be paid ahead of the long tour of the UK, for which they leave tonight.

As per the revised contracts, the players in the A+ category will get Rs 7 crore, while ones in the A, B and C will get Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

The General Body also approved the proposed increase in the salary of domestic cricketers including women.

"The General Body of the BCCI has authorised me to sign the players' contracts. It has also resolved to consider a proportionate increase in the remuneration of the domestic players, both and men and women. Not only the absolute amounts but also related to the gross revenue of the BCCI," he said.

On the upcoming domestic season, it was decided that new teams, including the northeastern states and Bihar, will be playing against each other in the plate division.

The top two teams from plate division will then face the bottom two sides across group A, B and C and the best two will advance to the elite division in the following season.

Recently, the COA had cleared Uttarakhand's participation in the upcoming Ranji Trophy alongside Bihar and northeastern states but that did not get the nod from the General Body.

"All decisions taken by the General Body is subject to Supreme Court's approval," said Choudhary.

Asked about the worsening relations between COA and BCCI officials, Choudhary said: "The dynamics between BCCI and COA are governed by the laws. There is no place for emotions here. We will continue to work under COA's supervision."