If the Indian players and the Board of Control for Cricket in India are already counting their chickens, they can cool it.

The International Cricket Council reiterated on Thursday that India's participation fees would be held back, even if it wins the World Cup, pending the resolution of the BCCI's contracts' case with cricket's governing body.

The ICC had sought arbitration after the BCCI had sent altered agreements when the players' objected to the ambush marketing and imaging clauses. That had been accompanied by a threat to withhold the participation money till the case reached closure.

The ICC's head honchos say nothing has changed since then for its position to change.

"If India loses the arbitration, it may well to have to pay the ICC more than it what it might get in terms of participation money, even if it wins the World Cup," ICC president Malcolm Gray told reporters.

The arbitration case is expected to last till the end of the year, maybe even beyond, according to ICC chief executive officer, Malcolm Speed.

The two ICC officials minced no words in describing their equation with India, whose public and corporate support for cricket is seen to be one of the key drivers of the game and the cause of its power in the corridors of cricket power.

"We treat all bodies equally," Speed said about the ICC being at loggerheads with the BCCI.

"This is not a popularity contest. We are not here to make friends. We're here to run world cricket."