BAI mulls steps to ensure timely payment for IBL players

In its bid to ensure that Indian Badminton League (IBL) players are paid timely, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) is considering asking the franchise owners to make all payments upfront to it at the start of the second edition.

BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta told IANS Thursday that once the payment has been made to the national body, the players in turn can be paid on time.

Stung by recent media reports that players still have unpaid dues for the inaugural edition that was held in August, Das Gupta, chairman of IBL governing council, said a final decision will be taken at BAI's general body meeting in February.

"To ensure that this does not happen again, we want to have foolproof system. The entire money will be deposited with the BAI before the tournament starts and it will be duly distributed to the players on time by us. This way we will make sure that all the players are paid on time," Das Gupta told IANS.

Das Gupta said the proposal will be discussed by all the IBL governing council members before putting it forward in BAI's general body meeting.

"This needs to be discussed properly with all the governing council members. We will hold a general body meeting in the first week of February when this issue will be discussed," said Das Gupta.

Sources told IANS that several players from Krrish Delhi Smashers, Mumbai Masters and Pune Pistons players are yet to get their dues. But Banga Beats, Hyderabad Hotshots and Awadhe Warriors players have got their payments.

Das Gupta said that the BAI was taking the strict measures to make sure that all the pending dues are cleared at the earliest.

"We have asked our events partner Sporty Solutionz to give out all the due payments as soon as possible. We did not receive any direct complaint and have just received information from the media about this issue," said Das Gupta.