India’s central contracting system could be in for a major overhaul as the BCCI is set to review the revised model proposed by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. If approved, the A+ category could be removed, and senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could be shifted to category B.
BCCI gives central contracts to its top players every year. Indian players have been divided into four grades: A+, A, B and C. The Board decides the contract grade based on the player’s performance, experience and availability for national duty. Around 30–35 players receive central contracts each season.
The BCCI Apex Council and national selectors review the list every year. This system helps provide financial security to players while meeting the demands of international cricket.
Ajit Agarkar proposes to terminate A+ contracts as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli face possible demotion
According to a report in Sports, Ajit Agarkar wants A+ category to be removed from India’s central contract system. If the Board of Control for Cricket in India approves the proposal in the next Apex Council meeting, only three grades will remain: A, B and C.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been placed in the A+ category with a fee of Rs 7 crore. Grade A players get Rs 5 crore, Grade B Rs 3 crore and Grade C Rs 1 crore.
Rohit and Kohli, who now play only one format, are expected to move to Category B. However, the revised payment structure for each grade has not been confirmed yet.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain in BCCI’s top contract bracket
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from T20Is together after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. Both players stepped away from Test cricket within a few days of each other before the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, and remained active only in ODI cricket.
Despite the retirements, Rohit and Kohli were retained in the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s top central contract level, Grade A+. Kohli has been a part of this bracket since it was introduced in 2018.
They remained in Grade A+ in the last cycle as the BCCI gives more importance to Test and ODI cricket than T20Is. The previous contract period was from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 and also included Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja in the highest tier.
List of BCCI Centrally Contracted Players (2024-25):
Grade A: Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant.
Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer.
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dubey, 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 Chakraborty, Harshit Rana.
Also read: Ravindra Jadeja out, Rohit Sharma’s fate decided: 5 names in danger of being dropped for India vs England ODI series
