New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed its annual central contracts for the Indian men’s cricket team for the 2024-25 season, with several key players retaining their positions in the top categories.
Despite their retirement from T20Is last year, senior cricketers Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have been retained in the highest grade, A+. Jasprit Bumrah joins the trio in this prestigious category, with the BCCI handing contracts to a total of 34 players for the upcoming season.
The Grade A category sees the inclusion of six players: KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Rishabh Pant, who has received a promotion this year.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have made a return to the central contracts list after being omitted last season. Iyer, who had been snubbed for missing domestic cricket, has been placed in Grade B alongside Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ishan Kishan, who was also absent from the contracts list last season, returns in Grade C, which includes the largest group of players, totaling 19.
Additionally, newcomers Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Abhishek Sharma, and Varun Chakaravarthy have earned their maiden central contracts in Grade C. Chakaravarthy’s inclusion is particularly notable due to his pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph.
There had been speculation surrounding the future of players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, as they no longer play in all three formats of the game. However, the BCCI has continued to value their contributions and leadership roles within the team.
Salaries for the contracts range from Rs 1 crore for Grade C players to Rs 7 crore for those in Grade A.
Here’s the full list of BCCI Central Contracts for 2024-25:
• Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
• Grade A: Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant
• Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer
• Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana
The announcement reflects the BCCI’s commitment to ensuring that India’s cricketing elite is well-supported, while also recognizing emerging talents within the squad.
