Dalmiya, who was forced out of cricket administration last December with a life ban, reckons that no matter how much the BCCI wants to toughen its stand on devising new, stricter contracts, it's the Indian team players who will have the final say.

Speaking to The Indian Express this evening on the sidelines of a press interaction, the former ICC and BCCI chief said: "The contracts issue is such a matter in which it's the players who will have their say at last. If you notice for yourself, the players will eventually decide the matter of contracts. You can very well talk about penalising the players for poor performances, but at the end, it's what the players want that will happen. You have to respect the players' contribution."

Dalmiya's open support for Rahul Dravid & Co comes at a time when the whole contracts renewal process has been delayed by nearly four months. In fact, it was during Dalmiya's reign that the contracts system was first introduced, back in 2002-03.

Following India's poor showing in the DLF Cup in Singapore and the Champions Trophy, controversy has been brewing ever since the Sharad Pawar-led BCCI dispensation announced that a tough, performance-oriented payments system will be introduced. However, after several rounds of talks between the senior India players and the Board failed to break the deadlock, the BCCI was forced to bend backwards. Dumping the idea of performance-centric penalty-or-bonus for individual players, the BCCI has finally decided on an overall incentive system apart from the contracts.

As things stand, it's not yet certain if the contracts will be signed before the World Cup gets underway, a process that was initially scheduled to be completed by November-end last year.