The BCCI announced its BCCI Central Contract 2025-26 and made a major change by removing the A+ category completely. Grade A had only three players, with each earning ₹5 crore per year.
The biggest change was that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were shifted down to Grade B because they are now one-format players after retiring from Tests and T20Is.
Since both Kohli and Rohit have retired from Tests and T20Is, they are now available only for one format, so they cannot stay in the top contract group.
The A+ category was originally introduced by the Committee of Administrators (COA), reportedly at the request of MS Dhoni. Only Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja, and Bumrah had ever been part of A+.
Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, and Others Dropped as BCCI Announces BCCI Central Contract 2025-26
One of the most surprising things is that Ishan Kishan is not included in the BCCI Central Contract 2025–26 list at all. Mohammed Shami is also missing from the list despite being described as a champion pacer. Other players like Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar are also not part of the 2025–26 retainership list. In 2024–25, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were included in the contract list again and were placed in Grade C.
The main reason mentioned is that Kishan, Mukesh, and Sarfaraz did not play a single international match during the evaluation period, so they were removed based on the criteria (performance + matches played).
Shami’s exclusion is described as a strong signal that he may not be in the selectors’ immediate plans. The men’s contract list was also reduced from 34 players to 30 players. Sai Sudharsan was the only new entrant in the senior men’s contract list.
| BCCI CENTRAL CONTRACT FOR 2025-26: | |
|---|---|
| Player | Grade |
| Grade A | |
| Shubman Gill | A |
| Jasprit Bumrah | A |
| Ravindra Jadeja | A |
| Grade B | |
| Virat Kohli | B |
| Rohit Sharma | B |
| Washington Sundar | B |
| KL Rahul | B |
| Mohammed Siraj | B |
| Hardik Pandya | B |
| Rishabh Pant | B |
| Kuldeep Yadav | B |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | B |
| Suryakumar Yadav | B |
| Shreyas Iyer | B |
| Grade C | |
| Axar Patel | C |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | C |
| Tilak Varma | C |
| Rinku Singh | C |
| Shivam Dube | C |
| Sanju Samson | C |
| Arshdeep Singh | C |
| Prasidh Krishna | C |
| Akash Deep | C |
| Dhruv Jurel | C |
| Harshit Rana | C |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | C |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | C |
| Abhishek Sharma | C |
| Sai Sudharsan | C |
| Ravi Bishnoi | C |
Will We See Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the 2027 ODI World Cup?
A lot of fans are still hoping that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be part of India’s squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. Both of them had a strong 2025, and Kohli has already started 2026 in great form. Rohit, however, is still trying to find his rhythm again.
The next time we are expected to see them in ODI action could be against Afghanistan in June, or later against England in July. These matches will be important because they might give a clearer idea about how serious their World Cup chances are.
Rohit has been playing international cricket since 2007 and will turn 39 this year. Kohli has been playing since 2008 and will be 38. Since they are only playing ODIs now, retiring from this format would basically mean the end of their international journey.
FAQs
Q. What major change did BCCI make in the 2025–26 central contracts?
A. The BCCI removed the A+ category completely.
Q. Which players are included in Grade A for 2025–26?
A. Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja are in Grade A.
Q. How much money do Grade A players earn per year?
A. Grade A players will earn ₹5 crore per year.
Q. How much money do Grade B players receive?
A. Grade B players will receive ₹3 crore per year.
Q. Which players were dropped from the 2025–26 contract list?
A. Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mukesh Kumar were dropped.
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