'IPL players to earn less under new contract'

The new IPL players' contract has several clauses disadvantageous to the cricketers and the take-home pay of those who sign it could be reduced to as little as 50 per cent of the signing amount, a report said on Sunday.

A report in Sunday Star Times said the player agreement of this season differs substantially from that in the first three years and New Zealand's leading cricketers could earn just 50 per cent of what they sell for at the auction likely to be held in February.

New Zealand Cricket Players' Association boss Heath Mills has reviewed a draft version of the playing agreement and raised a number of concerns with the Kiwi players who have put their names forward.

The two-page document stipulates that if the players are bought by big-spending franchises at the auction, they will be committed to signing a playing agreement for the next three years.

In the original contract, players received the majority of their fee they have been bought at, whether they played or not as long as they were available for their franchises.

Kyle Mills, who signed for $150,000 with Mumbai Indians in late 2008, was paid close to the full amount when available despite not being selected in the final XI and rolling the arm over just once, the newspaper said.

In the new contract, according to the newspaper, 20 per cent of a player's salary will be withheld and paid only if his team is one of the three that qualify for the Champions League from the Indian competition.

A promotions clause stipulates that a further 10 per cent is at risk if the player is unable to fulfill any promotional requirements.

Potentially, a player consistently left out of his franchise's playing XI, which also fails to qualify for the Champions League, and who is unavailable for promotional work, will make just over half what he sold for at auction.

"We can't control the process or influence how the IPL chooses to deal with these matters but it's important players know by signing the auction agreement they are committing that it binds them for three years if they are picked up in the auction. The guys need to be aware of what they are committing to," Mills was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Mills said some Kiwi players had put a lot of thought into setting their reserve for the auction given the changes from the original IPL contracts and potential reduction of earnings for reasons outside their control.

Players have the option of setting a reserve for their services from as little as $20,000 or up to $400,000.

Players had until Friday to signal their interest in playing in the next three IPL seasons by signing an auction agreement.