BCCI Announces Annual Team India Contracts For 34 Players; Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan Return
Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday unveiled the annual central contracts for the 2024–25 season, with the reinstatement of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan making headlines after the duo was excluded earlier this year for skipping Ranji Trophy matches. While Iyer has made a stellar comeback with impactful performances in the ODI format, including a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy victory, Ishan finds a place in Grade C despite no international appearances since his omission.
Key Highlights
- Top Grade A+ (Rs 7 crore): The elite bracket continues to include stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja.
- Grade A (Rs 5 crore): Rishabh Pant earns a promotion following Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement, joining KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya.
- Grade B (Rs 3 crore): Despite captaining India in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav remains in Grade B as a one-format player. Notably, Kuldeep Yadav, part of all three squads, and Axar Patel, also remain in this tier. Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal complete the list.
- Grade C (Rs 1 crore): Expanded to include 19 players this year, the Grade C list sees the return of Ishan Kishan and the inclusion of new faces such as Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Full List of BCCI Central Contracts 2024–25
| Grade | Salary (INR) | Players |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | ₹7 crore | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| A | ₹5 crore | Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant |
| B | ₹3 crore | Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer |
| C | ₹1 crore | 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 |
Interestingly, this year the BCCI has refrained from announcing a separate fast-bowling contract category, which was introduced in the previous cycle to recognize emerging domestic talent.
With a stable core and a few new names joining the ranks, the BCCI’s contract list reflects both the continuity and the changing landscape of Indian cricket.
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