The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the central contracts for the men’s team for the 2024-25 season, effective from Oct 1, 2024 to Sept 30, 2025. Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja - have retained their A+ grade contracts despite retiring from T20Is following India’s T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last year. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah remains the only other cricketer in the elite A+ category, which remains unchanged.
A total of 34 players have been awarded contracts for the stated period. Interestingly, both Shreyas Iyer (Grade B) and Ishan Kishan (Grade C) have been reinstated to the central contracts list after being excluded last year for skipping domestic matches. Asked about the decision to include Iyer and Kishan, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said, “Our selectors keep a close eye on all players. Their performances in international as well as domestic matches are monitored closely. You’ve seen the result of that.”
On Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja receiving A+ category contracts despite their T20I retirements, Saikia said, “All the parameters were closely assessed and the players were accordingly placed in their appropriate categories.”
Meanwhile, several promising youngsters, including allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, pacer Harshit Rana, aggressive left-hander Abhishek Sharma, and ‘mystery spinner’ Varun Chakaravarthy, have earned their first central contracts, joining in Grade C after putting in impressive performances in recent months. “The BCCI is making a conscious effort to promote youngsters and future prospects,” Saikia added.
