The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the annual central contracts for the 2024-25 cricket season, covering both the men's and women's national teams. A total of 51 cricketers have been awarded contracts in this cycle, reflecting significant structural changes in the grading system. The most prominent update is the movement of senior icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the top tier to Grade B, while younger stars like Shubman Gill and established pacer Jasprit Bumrah have secured positions in the elite bracket.
The new contract list is seen as a strategic move by the BCCI to balance experience with emerging talent. While several young performers have been rewarded for their consistency in international and domestic circuits, notable names like Mohammed Shami and Ishan Kishan have been excluded from the list. In the women's category, the board has expanded its support, with Jemimah Rodrigues earning a significant promotion to Grade A for the first time, marking a milestone in her career.
Men's Team Salary Structure and Grading
The BCCI has categorized the men's team into three primary grades based on performance and format participation. Grade A features Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Ravindra Jadeja, while according to official reports, Jasprit Bumrah is set to receive the highest retainer of ₹7 crore annually. Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja follow with an annual salary of ₹5 crore each. Grade B consists of 11 players, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, and Washington Sundar. These players will receive an annual retainer of ₹3 crore.
Grade C and the Rise of Young Talent
Grade C includes 17 players, many of whom have recently made their mark in the national side or are specialists in the T20 format. This list features Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Each player in this category is entitled to an annual salary of ₹1 crore. Analysts suggest that the inclusion of a large number of players in Grade C indicates the BCCI's intent to maintain a solid pool of talent for multi-format rotations.
Women's Team Contracts and Key Promotions
For the women's national team, the BCCI has awarded contracts to 21 players. Grade A includes captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues, all of whom will receive ₹50 lakh per annum. Grade B features 10 players, including Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaur, Uma Chetry, and Arundhati Reddy, with an annual retainer of ₹30 lakh. Grade C comprises 7 players, including Yastika Bhatia and Harleen Deol, who will receive ₹10 lakh annually. The promotion of Jemimah Rodrigues highlights her growing importance in the middle order across formats.
Analysis of the 2024-25 Contract Cycle
According to cricket analysts, the demotion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to Grade B doesn't diminish their stature but reflects a shift in the board's long-term planning and workload management. The exclusion of Mohammed Shami is attributed to his ongoing recovery from injury, while the absence of Ishan Kishan continues to underline the board's strict stance on domestic cricket participation. The inclusion of newcomers like Akash Deep and Dhruv Jurel in Grade C serves as a reward for their impressive debuts in the Test arena. This contract cycle emphasizes that the BCCI is prioritizing active participation and adherence to board protocols over past reputations.
So, to wrap up, the 2024-25 BCCI central contracts represent a transitional phase in Indian cricket. By rewarding consistent performers like Jasprit Bumrah and elevating young prospects like Yashasvi Jaiswal, the board has laid a financial foundation for the upcoming international calendar. The structured approach ensures that players are incentivized to maintain high standards of fitness and performance across all formats of the game.