BCCI Central Contracts: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the list of centrally contracted players for the 2024–25 season. The contracts are valid from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Players have been divided into four grades — A+, A, B, and C — based on their performance, consistency, fitness, and availability across formats.
This year’s list features 34 players, including key veterans, returning players, and several youngsters earning their first contracts. The BCCI has also continued to emphasize domestic cricket participation as a key factor in awarding contracts.
BCCI Central Contracts 2024–25 (Full List)
| Grade | Annual Salary (INR) | Players |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | ₹7 crore | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| A | ₹5 crore | Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya |
| B | ₹3 crore | Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| C | ₹1 crore | Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana |
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— BCCI (@BCCI) April 21, 2025
BCCI announces annual player retainership 2024-25 – Team India (Senior Men)#TeamIndia
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Grade A+
The top category remains unchanged with four names: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. These players continue to lead India across all formats and remain central to the team’s plans. Their consistency and seniority justify their presence in the elite bracket.
Grade A
Rishabh Pant has been promoted to Grade A after making a successful return from injury. He joins key all-format players like Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya. This tier features players who are regulars in at least two formats and bring stability to the squad.
Grade B
Shreyas Iyer returns to the contracts list and has been placed in Grade B after strong performances and re-commitment to domestic cricket. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel continue to be part of the white-ball setup, while Suryakumar Yadav remains a mainstay in T20Is. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has shown promise in Tests, retains his spot.
Grade C
This category features the most changes, with 19 players included. Several new faces have earned contracts following impressive performances in domestic and international cricket:
- Dhruv Jurel
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Nitish Reddy
- Abhishek Sharma
- Akash Deep
- Varun Chakaravarthy
- Harshit Rana
Ishan Kishan also returns to the list after missing out previously. Players in this grade are usually specialists in one format or new entrants into the national setup.
The 2024–25 central contracts reflect a clear strategy by the BCCI. Performance across formats, availability, and domestic cricket involvement remain the main criteria. While the top slots are stable, the lower grades show rotation and reward for emerging talent.
Pant’s promotion and the return of Iyer and Kishan send a strong message: opportunities are available for those who perform and stay committed. The inclusion of fresh faces like Jurel, Sarfaraz, and Nitish Reddy is a step towards building future depth.
The most surprising part of this contract was the promotion of Rishabh Pant because due to accident he was out of any format in the 2023 but even in the 2024 he able to score just 804 runs in 28 innings across all the format which is below average and the strike rate of below 85 which clearly shows his struggles.
Rishabh Pant should not be promoted because many other players who are in the C grade performed way better than him, especially Axar Patel, who had made a huge impact for the Indian team and contributed quite well, which helped India win the T20I World Cup.
Jaiswal is another player who should have received a hike after his amazing performance in the Australia tour, but because he did not play so many matches at the international level, he stayed in the same spot.
