Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its annual contract (Central Contract) list of players for the period from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. The list includes 30 players across four grades but excludes two prominent names from the national team: Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
The reason behind the exclusion
According to sources, the reason behind the exclusion of Iyer and Kishan is their failure to participate in the domestic cricket Ranji Trophy, despite being instructed by the board to do so. The BCCI considers the Ranji Trophy as an important platform for players to showcase their skills and form and expects them to prioritize it when they are not playing for the national team.
Iyer, who was the vice-captain of the Test team, had a poor run in the Test series against England, where he scored only 97 runs in four matches at an average of 16.16. He also suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth Test, which ruled him out of the rest of the series. The BCCI had asked him to play in the Ranji Trophy to regain his confidence and fitness, but he did not comply.
Kishan, who was the wicket-keeper batsman of the limited-overs team, had a decent performance in the T20I series against England, where he scored 121 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 159.21. However, he withdrew his name from the tour of South Africa, citing personal reasons. The BCCI had advised him to play in the Ranji Trophy to stay in touch with the game, but he ignored the board’s suggestion.
The BCCI is reportedly very unhappy with the attitude of these two players and has decided to punish them by dropping them from the annual contract list. This means that they will not receive any salary or benefits from the board, and will have to prove themselves again in domestic cricket to earn a recall to the national team.
The new contract list
The BCCI has divided the annual contract list into four grades: A+, A, B, and C. The players in Grade A+ will receive a salary of Rs 7 crore per annum, while those in Grade A will receive Rs 5 crore. The players in Grade B will receive Rs 3 crore, and those in Grade C will receive Rs 1 crore.
The BCCI has also introduced a new category of fast bowling contract, which will be given to five promising young fast bowlers who have impressed the board with their pace and potential. These bowlers will receive an additional Rs 50 lakh per annum, apart from their regular grade contract.
The following is the complete list of players who have been awarded the annual contract by the BCCI:
| Grade | Players |
|---|---|
| A+ | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| A | Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya |
| B | Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| C | Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar |
| Fast bowling contract | Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vaishyak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, Vidwath Kawerappa |
The BCCI statement
The BCCI issued a statement explaining the criteria and the rationale behind the annual contract list. The statement read:
“Players who fulfill the criteria of playing a minimum of three Tests or eight ODIs or 10 T20Is within this period will automatically be included in Grade C on a proportionate basis. For example- Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan have played two Test matches so far, if they participate in the fifth Test of the ongoing series against England, they will be included in Grade C. The BCCI has also recommended that all athletes give priority to participating in domestic cricket during the period when they are not playing for the national team. The BCCI believes that domestic cricket is the backbone of Indian cricket, and provides a platform for players to hone their skills and showcase their talent. The BCCI also appreciates the efforts of the young fast bowlers who have shown great promise and potential and has decided to reward them with a separate fast bowling contract. The BCCI hopes that this will motivate them to work harder and achieve greater heights in the future.”
