The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the central contracts for the 2025-26 season, awarding annual contracts to 30 senior players. In a significant shake-up, the BCCI has done away with the A+ grade, leaving Grade A as the top tier. This restructuring has led to several players being downgraded and a few being removed from the list entirely.

Six prominent cricketers have been affected financially. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been demoted from Grade A+ to Grade B, which is expected to reduce their annual earnings by ₹4 crore each. Similarly, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant have been downgraded from Grade A to Grade B, resulting in a loss of ₹2 crore each. Central contract grades differ by ₹2 crore, and these changes reflect the board’s revised structure.

In addition to downgrades, five players have been excluded from the contracts list entirely. Ishan Kishan, despite being part of India’s T20 World Cup squad, has not been awarded a contract this season, reportedly due to his absence from the previous season. Mohammed Shami, Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar, and Mukesh Kumar have also been left out, primarily due to form, availability, and limited recent appearances for Team India.

The women’s team contracts also saw surprises. The BCCI awarded central contracts to 21 women players, an increase from 16 last season. However, Pooja Vastrakar, Shreyanka Patil, and Titas Sadhu were unable to retain their contracts, leaving them out of the central payment structure for the season.

These updates mark one of the most notable revisions in recent years, with both financial and career implications for India’s top cricketers.