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MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI ) has roped in a leading law firm in the United Kingdom, has held two conference calls, one between state units and another with its legal team, has drafted a notice citing violation of a contract, which is the Members Participation Agreement ( MPA ), and is all but prepared to face the inevitable.

The inevitable, in this case, is the prospect of India not playing the 2017 Champions Trophy , citing the International Cricket Council ( ICC ) Board Members' decision to dishonour the MPA by allowing policy changes in the revenue and governance model without the consent of the Indian cricket board.

Throughout Tuesday, a day after TOI reported that all BCCI state units were unanimous in their resolve to oppose the ICC, the board's office-bearers ­ led by acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary ­ held conference calls between 13 state units to figure out the numbers that are in favour of an eventual pullout.

While N Srinivasan's advice was sought in the teleconference, BCCI is clear that the Chennai-based administrator needs to stay away.

"The question here is not about whether BCCI should be sending the notice or not. A notice will be sent as per the legal norms, because it is certainly a violation of an existing contract. The question is, are we prepared for the repercussions post sending the notice," a senior cricket administrator said.

The MPA, signed back in 2014 when Srinivasan was the chairman of the ICC, is registered in the UK courts of law and needs to be therefore brought up for dispute resolution in that country. Further, the legalities involved in invoking the MPA state that the BCCI needs to send a notice to the ICC and give the governing body a time frame ­ a window of 30 days ­ to seek a reply.

However, a legal expert who has been involved with cricket affairs said "the time frame can be a shorter one in cases like this one" where the tournament is starting before the deadline and therefore a shorter window can be sought for a reply.

The other important aspect that needs to be underlined here is that the BCCI is also waiting to understand the mood of the central government in this regard, which could reflect through the three government votes in the BCCI.

Well-placed sources advising BCCI on this matter said: "This issue is now serious because it's not just a question of money. It's now a question of whether India can stand up for what is its right or let it be given away and lose its authority and respect."

The board has no objection to the national selection committee picking up a team for the Champions Trophy following the SGM but with a standing prerequisite that the team is being selected subject to ICC's reply to the notice.

BCCI's major grouse doesn't just stem from the loss of revenue but the global body's highhandedness in pushing for changes in the governance policies.

"The notice has been prepared on these lines. It's not a confrontational one... by way of being a global superpower in the game, India needs to have a say," say the functionaries.

