The Indian cricket board on Tuesday confirmed what Hindustan Times reported last week - former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had demanded more money for services rendered as a member of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council.
HT had first reported about Gavaskar's demand in its
October 27 edition under the headline "Sunny wanted more money from IPL". This paper had learned that Gavaskar had asked for $1 million per year. Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary N Srinivasan told Times Now on Tuesday that Gavaskar had written mails to president Shashank Manohar seeking R 20 crore more for five years at the rate of
Rs. 5 crore per annum.
Srinivasan said as per the contract, Gavaskar was to be paid R one crore per year and that money had been paid to him on schedule with just one final payment remaining. HT had reported the amount to be R 4.5 crore per year (we calculated the $ exchange rate at Rs. 45 per dollar) for services rendered to IPL.
Srinivasan said there was no contract or written commitment that Gavaskar would be paid R5 crore per annum for the five year period -- the initial tenure of IPL governing council. In comments to a news channel, Gavaskar alleged that he had not been paid for the last three years and has been forced to send a "gentle reminder about the non-payment" to BCCI.
"All I have been doing is sending a gentle reminder about the non-payment and I have just been told that Mr. (Sharad) Pawar (ICC chief) will organise a meeting between Shashank (Manohar, BCCI president) and me in his presence to sort out the matter and that for me is good enough. So, I am not demanding anything. I am just reminding them of what was offered to me and what was committed to me by the BCCI,"
Gavaskar told NDTV. But later, BCCI president Manohar too rejected Gavaskar's claims and said there was no meeting scheduled with Pawar and Gavaskar. "I am always available if Gavaskar wants to meet me. Pawar has not arranged any meeting," Manohar said.