.jpg?type=hq)
Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma. Image Credits: X
In a significant development, the BCCI has reportedly finalised its annual central contracts list, bringing significant changes to the grading system. According to a report by Dainik Jagran, star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been moved from the A+ category to B.
The report states that the BCCI has completely removed the A+ category this year. As a result, players are now divided into just three groups- A, B and C.
Under the previous structure, the A+ category included elite all-format players and carried the highest annual retainer of ₹7 crore.
Only Three Players in Group A of BCCI's central contract
With the removal of the A+ tier, only three players have reportedly been placed in the top Group A category for the men's team. These are India's Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Group A was earlier valued at ₹5 crore per year, but with the revised structure, the BCCI has not officially confirmed how much players in each category will earn under the new system.
The 2025–26 central contracts list reportedly includes a total of 30 players across all three categories.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar in Group B
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who were both part of the A+ category earlier, have now been placed in Group B. India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has also been included in the same group.
One of the key reasons behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's demotion is believed to be their reduced workload. Both players now represent India only in ODIs, having retired from T20Is and Test cricket respectively.
Despite this, both veterans have been in strong form in the 50-over format. Virat Kohli recently scored 240 runs in three innings against New Zealand at an average of 80 and a strike rate of over 105. Rohit Sharma, however, had a comparatively lean series, scoring 61 runs in three innings.
Other notable players in Group B include KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar. The Group C category includes younger players such as Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Axar Patel and several others.
Central Contract List of Players
Male
Group A: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja.
Group B: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer.
Group C: Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dubey, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurail, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudarshan, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturaj Gaikwad.
BCCI annual contracts for the women's team
The BCCI has also finalised central contracts for the women’s team. World Cup-winning captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been placed in the top category along with Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma.
Star players Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh have reportedly been included in Group B for the women’s team.
Woman
Group-A: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma.
Group B: Renuka Thakur, Shefali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana.
Group-C: Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaur, Uma Chhetri, Arundhati Reddy, Shri Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvi Gautam, G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tejal.
