BCCI Annual Central Contracts Update: Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan Lose Contracts
In the latest BCCI central contracts update, notable changes have been made to the roster, impacting players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
The A+ category continues to feature cricket stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja.
It should be noted that the roster of 30 contracted players was enlarged from 26 in 2023 to include Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
Iyer, who was instrumental in leading India to the World Cup final in November of last year, was not able to keep his Grade B contract even though he met the board’s minimal requirements for the number of games played. After the most recent contract period began in October of last year, Iyer has participated in four Tests, twelve ODIs, and two T20Is. He was dropped for the second Test of the series after struggling with form in the first two of the current series against England.
Shortly after, Iyer notified the Mumbai Cricket Association that he would not be able to play in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal matchup against Baroda due to back spasms. However, Iyer has since made himself available and is included in Mumbai’s team for the semi-final on March 2 versus Tamil Nadu.
Last year, Kishan’s contract was a Grade C. While he was a member of multiple India squads, he only played two ODIs and three T20Is in the current cycle. He played two Tests, 19 ODIs, and 10 T20Is during the previous contract period.
He requested a personal break in December while on tour in South Africa, and BCCI approved it. But ever since, he hasn’t participated in any board-organized competitive cricket matches. He gained notoriety on Tuesday when he showed up to compete in the Mumbai-based, privately organized DY Patil T20 Cup.
Suryakumar, Pant is in Grade B; Rahul, Hardik is in the second tier
Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, R Ashwin, and Shubman Gill are the players in Grade A, the second tier of the central contracts. Yashasvi Jaiswal, a 22-year-old newcomer to Grade B. Having made his Test cricket debut in July 2023, this is his first BCCI central contract, acknowledging his efforts. He scored two century in a row against England in the current series.
The other members of Grade B are Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, and Kuldeep Yadav in addition to Jaiswal.
Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Rajat Patidar are among the many T20 experts who are represented in the final tier.
The new faces in Grade A are Siraj, Rahul, and Gill; they were all promoted from Grade B. Axar and Pant, who haven’t played in more than a year due to a terrifying vehicle accident in December 2022, have dropped from Grade A to Grade B.
A number of new names are replacing the ranks of Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Hooda, and Yuzvendra Chahal, who have all been eliminated: Jaiswal in Grade B, Rinku, Tilak, Gaikwad, Dube, Bishnoi, Jitesh, Mukesh, Prasidh, Avesh, and Patidar in Grade C.
The four contract categories’ values were not disclosed by the BCCI, but ESPNcricinfo knows that they are probably going to increase from the previous year, when A+ was worth INR 7 crore, A was for INR 5 crore, B was worth INR 3 crore, and C was worth INR 1 crore.
All cricket players who participate in at least three Tests, eight ODIs, or ten T20Is within the allotted time frame “will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis,” the BCCI continued. This is similar to previous years’ arrangements. “For instance, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, having played two Test matches so far, will be inducted into Grade C if they participate in the Dharamsala Test match [against England],” the statement said.
Five quick bowlers have been encouraged to sign contracts
The selectors’ primary goal, according to what ESPNcricinfo has learned, is to make sure these fast bowlers have insurance in case they get hurt. The selectors informed BCCI that offering such a cover would provide stability for these bowlers, who could thereafter receive rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
It is known that the BCCI is negotiating compensation incentives in order to persuade the fast bowlers to continue their commitment to playing first-class cricket.
