In fact, the issue of endorsements affecting performance has been the key theme of the BCCI’s two-day review meeting here following the World Cup debacle. It was first raised by Kapil Dev during last afternoon’s meeting between BCCI officials and former India captains.

“We felt that for the players to remain focused, they should not be allowed to do any sponsor-related events 15 days before the tour and during the tour. We had also suggested a cap on the number of brands. We also came up with a number of other suggestions to ensure that this issue does not affect a player’s performance,” Kapil Dev told The Indian Express. The Board panel today also decided to limit the number of players who can sign for the same sponsor, as recommended by the former captains and ex-coach Greg Chappell. This move, as this paper reported yesterday, is aimed at curbing the influence a particular business house can possibly wield on team affairs, particularly while selecting the final XI.

The other important endorsement-related decision taken today was to limit the number of sponsors or products that any single player can endorse to just three.

“These are serious issues that need to be looked into while evaluating the performance of the players,” said the source, who was part of yesterday’s review meeting and today’s working committee deliberations. With the team flopping badly, the BCCI obviously has chosen the right moment to strike back at some of the senior players who had stood up to its arm-twisting tactics during the messy contracts negotiations last year.

... contd.