Cheteshwar Pujara
The BCCI announced its annual central contracts for the year, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retaining their top-tier positions. Notably, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were excluded for failing to adhere to the directive to participate in Ranji Trophy matches.
Kishan, aged 25, opted out of Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy campaign despite being off national duty since December. He focused on preparing for the upcoming IPL instead of playing domestic cricket. Similarly, Iyer didn’t make himself available for Mumbai’s Ranji quarterfinal against Baroda, although he has been selected for the semifinals.
The BCCI reiterated its recommendation for players to prioritize domestic cricket when not representing the national team. The exclusion of Kishan and Iyer serves as a message to young players who prioritize short-format cricket over first-class matches.
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In the highest bracket, A plus category, Rohit, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja retained their spots. R Ashwin, set to play his 100th Test, leads the A category along with Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya. Siraj has been promoted from the B category, while Axar Patel moved down.
Rishabh Pant, previously in A, now finds himself in the B category due to his absence from cricket since December 2022. Other B-category players include Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Fifteen players were awarded C-category contracts, including Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, and Washington Sundar. Players like Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan will be inducted into Grade C after meeting the specified match criteria.
Pujara, Chahal, Dhawan dropped
Big names like Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal have been dropped from BCCI contracts, reflecting their falling favor with selectors.
While this marks the end of the road for veterans like Pujara, 33-year-old Chahal still has an opportunity to stake his claim with more game time.
The selection committee has recommended fast bowling contracts for Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa. This is the first time the BCCI has officially released the names of selected players under this system, which has been in place since 2021-22.
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Akash Deep particularly impressed on his debut in the recent fourth Test against England, where India secured victory to clinch the series.
In a departure from previous practice, the BCCI has not disclosed the remuneration for players across the four categories this time. Typically, players receive Rs 7 crore annually in the A plus bracket, Rs 5 crore in A, Rs 3 crore in B, and Rs one crore in C, in addition to match fees.
The centrally contracted players for 2023-24 are categorized as follows:
Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Grade A: R Ashwin, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya.
Grade B: Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Rajat Patidar.
Fast bowling contracts: Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa.
