Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team has delivered an outstanding performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India secured a spot in the final by defeating Australia by four wickets in the semi-final. Now, the team will face New Zealand in the final, scheduled for Sunday, March 9, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Central Contract List to be Released After Champions Trophy?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is closely monitoring the players’ performances in the Champions Trophy. BCCI will review their performances after the final match before releasing the central contract list. Last year, the list was announced on February 28, but this time, the process has been delayed due to the Champions Trophy, as the board wants to assess players’ performances before making a decision.
According to reports, middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer may be reinstated in the central contract list due to his impressive performances in the Champions Trophy. Last year, both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were excluded from the central contract list as they were not actively participating in domestic cricket. While Ishan Kishan has not played international cricket since November 2023, Shreyas Iyer has been a regular in ODIs, which strengthens his case for a central contract.
BCCI Contract Categories and Annual Salaries
BCCI offers four categories in its central contract system:
- Grade A+ – ₹7 crore per year
- Grade A – ₹5 crore per year
- Grade B – ₹3 crore per year
- Grade C – ₹1 crore per year
Players are categorized based on their performances and involvement in different formats. Grade A+ is reserved for players who consistently play in all three formats (Test, ODI, and T20I).
Currently, the Grade A+ category includes:
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Ravindra Jadeja
However, since Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20 Internationals last year, their retention in the A+ category remains uncertain. Their recent Test performances have also been below expectations, but their performances in the Champions Trophy might influence their status in the new contract list.
Also Read- ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Prize Money for Winner, Runner-up
BCCI Central Contract List 2023/24
Grade A+
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Ravindra Jadeja
Grade A
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj
- KL Rahul
- Shubman Gill
- Hardik Pandya
Grade B
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Rishabh Pant
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Axar Patel
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
Grade C
- Rinku Singh
- Tilak Varma
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Shardul Thakur
- Shivam Dube
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Jitesh Sharma
- Washington Sundar
- Mukesh Kumar
- Sanju Samson
- Arshdeep Singh
- KS Bharat
- Prasidh Krishna
- Avesh Khan
- Rajat Patidar
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Dhruv Jurel
Additionally, BCCI had provided a Fast Bowling Contract to bowlers like Akash Deep, Yash Dayal, Umran Malik, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Vidwath Kaverappa.
The new central contract list will likely be announced after the Champions Trophy final, and it remains to be seen if any major changes will be made.