BCCI asks RCB to produce `NOC` from players on salary issue

New Delhi: The BCCI Governing Council on Thursday asked the Royal Challengers Bangalore to get `No Objection Certificate` from their players on the revised payment schedule after the southern franchise failed to pay the first installment of their salaries for IPL5 held in April-May.

"The IPL governing council today summoned the RCB officials to the governing council meeting to discuss on the players` payment issue. After discussions, the BCCI has asked RCB to get `No Objection Certificate` from the cricketers on the revised payment schedule. The franchise has promised that they would produce the NOC in some time," a senior governing council member said. "Look, the BCCI can still wait for their yearly franchise fee but it is unfair if the players` salaries is not paid on time," the official added. The matter came up for discussion at the governing council meeting today after it was reported that none of the RCB players, save Chris Gayle, have received their first installment of salary. It has been reported that some members of the Royal Challengers 2012 squad, including captain Daniel Vettori, are still awaiting the first installment of their pay. Under every identical IPL contract, signed between the player, the franchise and the IPL, the players are due 15 per cent of their fee for the season by April 1 (before the IPL or very early into it), 50 per cent by May 1 (during the IPL or towards its end), 20 per cent after the Champions League and 15 per cent by December 1. The players had supposedly emailed the management after the fifth season ended in May, but did not receive any straightforward response. Royal Challengers` franchise owners, the UB group, have recently hit financial strife, with owner Vijay Mallya`s airline found to be in debt of USD 1.3b. Last week, the Federation of International Cricketers` Association (FICA) chief executive, Tim May had also complained that the IPL had sidelined FICA and reduced it to an advisory role in the current payment dispute between RCB and some of its players. The Deccan Chargers officials were also summoned to the meeting. It has been reliably learnt that the discussions were regarding selling of stakes. Rajasthan Royals official Raghu Iyer was also present at the meeting to have discussion with senior BCCI official and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on ownership pattern of the franchise. PTI