BCCI Unveils Major Overhaul in Central Contracts for 2025-26 Season
In a significant restructuring of its player remuneration system, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finalized the central contracts for the 2025-26 season. According to exclusive information obtained by TOI, only three players from the men's team have been awarded the prestigious Grade A contracts: premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill, and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli and Rohit Shifted to Grade B
In a move that marks a notable shift in the hierarchy of Indian cricket, former captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been demoted from the A+ category to Grade B. This decision is directly attributed to their current participation in only one of the three international formats—ODIs—following their retirements from T20Is. Both players, considered modern-day legends, were previously in the elite A+ bracket, which has now been abolished as part of the BCCI's overhaul.
The national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, proposed eliminating the A+ category introduced in 2018, impacting senior stalwarts like Kohli and Rohit. This change reflects the board's emphasis on rewarding players who are active across multiple formats.
Complete Breakdown of Men's Contracts
Overall, thirty Indian men's players will receive central contracts for the 2025-26 season. The Grade B category includes eleven players, featuring off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar, Test opener and ODI wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, senior pacer Mohammed Siraj, white-ball all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, Test and ODI opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, and ODI middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, alongside Kohli and Rohit.
Grade C contracts have been awarded to sixteen players: Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudarshan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Jemimah Rodrigues Promoted in Women's Team
In the women's team, the standout gainer is Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been promoted to the Grade A category. Rodrigues joins skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and ace all-rounder Deepti Sharma in this elite group. Her promotion follows a stellar performance in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, where she scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls to lead India to a stunning five-wicket victory over Australia in the semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Rodrigues, who also captained Delhi Capitals to the final in the recently concluded Women's Premier League, had earlier smashed 76 not out off 55 balls against New Zealand in a crucial do-or-die match at the same venue.
Women's Contract Details
The Grade B category for women includes Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Sneh Rana. Grade C contracts have been awarded to Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, wicketkeeper Uma Chhetri, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charini, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvi Gautam, wicketkeeper G Kamlini, Vaishnavi Sharma, and Tejal Hasbnis.
The BCCI is expected to officially announce the full list of contracted players soon, marking a new chapter in Indian cricket's financial and hierarchical structure.
