Mumbai:;The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced its central contracts for the 2025–26 season, ushering in a significant reshuffle that places senior stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in Group B, marking a symbolic shift in India’s contract hierarchy.
The move, though largely expected, reflects the duo’s evolving roles in Indian cricket. Kohli, who has retired from Test cricket, and Rohit, who stepped away from T20 Internationals, are now effectively one-format players, making them ineligible for the top contract bracket under the current performance-based criteria. The guidelines assess both match participation and on-field contributions during the preceding season.
In a major structural change, the BCCI has scrapped the A+ category, further reshaping the contracts landscape. Kohli and Rohit were long-time members of that elite group, which was introduced during the Committee of Administrators (COA) era to reward consistent all-format excellence.
With Jasprit Bumrah now the only player assured of selection across formats, the board decided to do away with the category altogether.
As a result, Shubman Gill has been elevated to the highest pay grade for the first time in his career, retaining a Group A contract alongside Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Gill’s rise underscores the board’s transition towards a new leadership core, with the young batter now firmly established as a two-format captain.
While the BCCI has not officially disclosed retainership amounts, Group A contracts were previously valued at Rs 5 crore annually, with Group B and Group C fetching Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively before the removal of the A+ tier.
The men’s contract list has been trimmed from 34 to 30 players, with several familiar names missing out. Mohammed Shami, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Kishan have all been excluded, despite featuring in the previous cycle.
Shami’s omission, in particular, is being viewed as a strong indication that he may be outside the selectors’ immediate plans. Kishan, Mukesh and Sarfaraz did not play any international matches during the assessment period, while Kishan’s recent T20I return falls under the new contract cycle.
The only new entrant in the senior men’s list is Sai Sudharsan, who earned his maiden central contract.
On the women’s side, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma retained their Group A status, while Jemimah Rodrigues was promoted following her impressive performances in the World Cup.
For Kohli and Rohit, the revised contracts signal not a fall from grace, but a changing of the guard—with Indian cricket formally turning a page while still relying on its most seasoned match-winners in the format they continue to command.
Source: TOI
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