Gavaskar accuses BCCI of not clearing IPL dues, board denies

NEW DELHI - Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar Tuesday said that despite “gentle” reminders, the Indian cricket board has not paid him for his services as a founding member of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC).

The board, however, rubbished his claims by saying he was paid as per the contract.

Gavaskar, who became GC member in 2007, was removed in September.

Gavaskar claimed that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has still not paid him and he is waiting for former board president Sharad Pawar to intervene.

“All I have been doing is sending gentle reminders about the non-payment. I have just been told that Pawar will organise a meeting between Shashank and me in his presence to sort out the matter and that for me is good enough.

“I am just reminding them of what was offered to me and what was committed to me by the BCCI,” Gavaskar told NDTV in an interview.

Reacting to the claims, BCCI President elect N. Srinivasan said the legendary batsman is claiming an amount which was never agreed upon. He also said that they will clear all legitimate dues of Gavaskar.

“Gavaskar had asked us for Rs.20 crore for his five-year contract, but BCCI did not agree to that. He said that there was no such agreement and the BCCI refused to commit to any such contract,” Srinivasan told television channels.

“Gavaskar had a contract of Rs.1 crore a year as GC and he has been paid for the last three years and he needs to be paid only for the July-September quarter,” said Srinivasan.

Talking of his association with the Kochi franchise, Gavaskar reiterated that he has no stake in the franchise.

“I do not have a deal with Kochi, with no stake and there has been nothing,” Gavaskar cleared the air.

“If there was any association, I would have gone to the GC and asked for their permission and if the GC had said no, it would have been a matter of choosing between the franchise or the GC. But the fact is they do not even have a franchise yet, they are still trying to sort out their internal problems,” he said.