The Board of Control for Cricket in India will have more than one meeting with cricketers this month before the financial deal between them is formally sealed and brought into effect from October 1.

Media manager Amrit Mathur will travel to Kolkata on Monday to brief BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya on the first round of interaction with the cricketers -- satisfactory by all accounts.

The Board is offering a retainership to players and is prepared to make a monetary distinction between those who play in the first eleven and those who are sitting on the bench. But things are far more complex than they appear on paper.

"The Board is offering a great deal of money, but it would also expect players to live up to it -- by way of performance, conduct, fitness and less intransigence," revealed a BCCI official, who was part of the discussion with the cricketers early this week. All this will form an "evaluation tool" for the Board when the contract is renewed after a year.

Complete Coverage The Contract system

This is distinct from the 'bonus' system which the Board has been toying for sometime now. A bonus system will ensure the team gets money by way of bonus if it beats a higher-ranked team -- or lose a sizeable chunk if it is beaten by a lowly-placed team.

"The bonus system is still some way off," commented the official. "In any case, the bonus system involves the team while this retainership deal is with individuals."

Ironically, it is the Board which is keen to rush the deal with the cricketers. It is under pressure from the International Cricket Council to have some sort of agreement with the cricketers lest a bust-up with sponsors occurs like it did in the Champions Trophy and the World Cup.

The players -- at least the seniors -- are not willing to let the opportunity go. Be it Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble or Sourav Ganguly, they are not exactly in the flush of youth and "want to rush up things," said a cricketer closely involved with the India stars during the formation of the Indian Cricket Players Association.

The ICPA would appear to lose ground as they were not part of the discussions in Bangalore. Arun Lal, its vice-president, strongly denies the suggestion that the ICPA has been undermined by the players themselves. "It's not necessary for ICPA to be present in all negotiations," he said. "Senior cricketers have spoken to me and they appear keen about the deal."

The cricketers still need to clarify with their sponsors that 'ambush marketing' will not work during the specified time-frame of an ICC event. ICC sponsors have a legal right to protect themselves from 'ambush marketing' during an ICC events.

"Cricketers with long-term contracts with rival companies will be expected to sort out the matter with their sponsors. Those who have short-term contracts would need to understand the obligation to the ICC," the BCCI official said.

"Everyone must understand that all the parties -- the Board, the ICC, players, sponsors -- are a little wiser by what happened last season. I think everyone is willing to accommodate that much further to ensure smooth running of the game," the official added.

For someone like Ganguly who has long-time contracts with Hero Honda and Pepsi it would entail a personal responsibility so that the Board does not lose face again. On the other hand, players like Virender Sehwag, who have a short-time contract with Coca-Cola, need to be alert during future negotiations with the sponsors.

The Board is offering a retainership to cricketers and not an annual contract as it suits both parties. "In the Indian scenario, a contract could have wider legal ramifications," the official explained. "Retainership on the other hand depends more on mutual understanding and gives both parties leeway."

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