The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the central contract list for the 2025-26 season, marking a clear change in the hierarchy in Indian cricket. The updated guard list accommodated high-level fighters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli And in class B Shubman Gill has been upgraded to a higher grade A bracket, showing the board’s increased focus on the next generation.
The A+ category has been scrapped as the BCCI has reshaped its contract structure
In a major structural change, the BCCI has discontinued the A+ category for the upcoming season. Now with only three brackets – Grade A, B and C – the revised system reflects a more simplified assessment based on recent performances, workload and long-term planning.
The highest grade A contract was awarded to Gill. jasprit bumrahand Ravindra Jadejahighlighting their importance across formats and consistent impact in high-pressure situations.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been demoted to B grade
The placement of Rohit and Kohli in the B grade naturally attracted attention given their stature and long legacies in Indian cricket. However, the decision was largely expected, with both the stalwarts primarily active in the ODI format after stepping away from other international commitments. While they continue to be influential figures within the set-up, the move reflects BCCI’s intention to align contract pricing with format availability, workload management and the evolving long-term vision of the team.
They are joined in class B by the following KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyerand other stars who earned promotion after a solid run.
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Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan misses
One of the biggest shocks in the list was its omission Muhammad ShamiPart of the A grade last season but now finds himself without a central contract. Injuries and limited appearances played a role in the decision. Meanwhile, Akhar Patel demoted from B to C after one year of ineligibility. In addition, the likes Ishan KishiSarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidarand Mukesh Kumar they also missed it completely.
BCCI central contract list 2025–26
- Grade A: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
- Grade B: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer.
- Grade C: Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturajikwad,
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