Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Retain A+ BCCI Contracts for 2024–25 Despite T20I Retirement

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the annual central contracts for the Indian men’s cricket team for the 2024-25 season, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retaining their A+ category contracts despite retiring from the T20I format.

Each player in the A+ category earns ₹7 crore annually, excluding match fees and performance incentives. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have also held on to their A+ status in the latest contract list.

Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan Reinstated After Missing Last Year

One of the most notable updates is the return of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan to the BCCI’s central contract list:

• Shreyas Iyer is placed in Grade B
• Ishan Kishan finds a spot in Grade C

Both players were excluded from the previous list due to their non-participation in domestic cricket, a key criterion set by the BCCI.

Rishabh Pant Promoted to Grade A as Ashwin Bows Out

Rishabh Pant, who was previously in Grade B, has been promoted to Grade A, replacing Ravichandran Ashwin who has now retired from international cricket.

The Grade A category remains strong with the inclusion of:

• Md. Siraj
• KL Rahul
• Shubman Gill
• Hardik Pandya
• Md. Shami
• Rishabh Pant

New Faces in Grade C: Young Talent Gets Recognition

Several promising youngsters have been added to the Grade C category, including:

• Nitish Kumar Reddy
• Dhruv Jurel
• Abhishek Sharma
• Sarfaraz Khan
• Akash Deep
• Varun Chakaravarthy
• Harshit Rana

These additions reflect the BCCI’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent across formats.

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Players Dropped from Contracts List

Some players from the previous year’s list have been excluded altogether:

• Shivam Dube
• Jitesh Sharma
• KS Bharath
• Avesh Khan

Their exclusion may be attributed to form, fitness, or lack of appearances in domestic and international matches.

Full List of BCCI Central Contracts 2024–25

Grade A+ (₹7 Cr):
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

Grade A (₹5 Cr):
Md. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Md. Shami, Rishabh Pant

Grade B (₹3 Cr):
Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer

Grade C (₹1 Cr):
Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, 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

Contract Validity and Season Timeline

The contract period will cover October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, aligning with the BCCI’s annual performance evaluation cycle.