Muttiah Muralitharan yet to receive Rs 3 crore from Kochi IPL team

by Devendra Pandey

Mumbai, Nov.13... Cricketers played out... cricketers played out...

Three years after the termination of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team, Kochi Tuskers, cricketers who represented the franchisee are yet to be paid 35 percent of their fees.

The Indian cricket board, which terminated the contract with the Tuskers after the owners failed to provide a bank guarantee, owe players Rs 9 crore of which Rs8.3 crore is to be paid to international cricketers.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is to receive Rs 3 crore approximately. "I've around Rs 3 crore pending from Kochi Tuskers for the last three years," Muralithanran told (The Indian Express).

"I contacted them but they said because the BCCI took their bank guarantee, they couldn't pay. I contacted BCCI as well but nothing has happened so far. When the franchise was disbanded, Mr N. Srinivasan (the then BCCI president) said the players won't be affected and their dues will be cleared. At the end of the day, this is the Indian cricket board's responsibility," Muralitharan added. The off-spinner was bought for $1.1million at the auction.

Apart from Muralitharan, prominent players like Ravindra Jadeja, VVS Laxman, Mahela Jayawardene and Parthiv Patel too have been waiting for their dues.

The BCCI owes Indian players Rs 70 lakh.

A domestic player who did not wish to be named said that a group of cricketers had approached IPL CEO Sundar Raman last year but his response was same as before.

"They have been telling us that as the matter is under arbitration,the board can't encash the bank guarantee. International players are handsomely paid but for domestic players this money counts a lot," the domestic player said.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel wasn't available for comment but another official on condition of anonymity said that the players will have to wait until the arbitration process is completed to receive their payments.