Mumbai, Oct. 9: The Indian players’ annual contract with the cricket board would be finalised and signed before the team departs for South Africa, to play three Tests and five ODIs, next month.

"The contracts would be ready (for signing by the players) before the team leaves for South Africa," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah here on Monday.

There has been much speculation whether former captain Sourav Ganguly, who has not played in an ODI since September 2005 and in Tests since returning from Pakistan in January this year, would retain his Grade A annual contract worth Rs 50 lakh.

Queried over a report in a cricket portal that some top Indian cricketers were not too happy with the BCCI’s deal with a leading global sports goods brand for the team’s apparel as it clashed with the brands some players were endorsing, Shah said the players were getting a good share of the spoils and should be happy. "They are getting a share of the money. Anyway only four or five players may not be satisfied (with the agreement). We have to look at the broader picture," said Shah, adding no player has raised the issue so far with the board’s bigwigs.

Asked about the stand-off with the International Cricket Council over the BCCI’s refusal to sign the Members’ Participation Agreement for ICC events to be held from 2007-2015, the board official said the Indian board has already sent a reply to the world governing council.