Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have made their way back into the BCCI’s central contracts list for the 2024-25 season, having missed out the previous year. The updated list includes 34 players, an increase from the 30 named last time.
The top-tier (Grade A+) features Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja – the only change from last season being the exclusion of R Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in late 2024. Despite retiring from T20Is after India’s T20 World Cup triumph last June, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja continue to hold A+ contracts.
Rishabh Pant, who returned to international cricket in 2024 after recovering from a serious car accident, has been promoted from Grade B to Grade A. He had previously featured in Grade A during the 2022-23 season but was downgraded due to his injury-enforced absence. Having played ten Tests, ten T20Is, and one ODI since his comeback during IPL 2024, Pant has re-established himself as a key player across formats.
Shreyas Iyer now holds a Grade B contract alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Suryakumar Yadav. Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, returns in Grade C.
Several new names have been added to the contracts list, all in Grade C: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Abhishek Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana.
Players who have been dropped from the list entirely include Shardul Thakur, KS Bharat, Avesh Khan, and Jitesh Sharma — all of whom were previously in Grade C.
While the BCCI didn’t officially disclose retainer amounts, it is understood that Grade A+ players earn INR 7 crore, Grade A INR 5 crore, Grade B INR 3 crore, and Grade C INR 1 crore.
The Comebacks
Iyer and Kishan had lost their contracts in the previous cycle due to skipping domestic duties. Iyer had cited back spasms to the Mumbai Cricket Association, while Kishan opted to play the DY Patil T20 tournament instead of returning to Jharkhand’s domestic setup. However, both players have since resumed domestic participation, with Kishan featuring for Jharkhand across formats.
Shreyas Iyer has had a stellar run since March 2024, winning five major titles — including the IPL as Kolkata Knight Riders captain, as well as the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Mumbai. He also starred in India’s Champions Trophy triumph, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer with 243 runs from five innings.
New Entrants on the Rise
Varun Chakravarthy’s consistent performances earned him a comeback in India’s T20I squad against Bangladesh and a spot in the Champions Trophy, where he picked up nine wickets in three games. Harshit Rana, another promising name, debuted across all three formats and featured in two Champions Trophy matches.
Full List of BCCI Central Contracts for 2024–25:
Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
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 Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, 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 Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana
