Upcoming Changes to Indian Cricket Contracts: A+ Players Revealed!

Mumbai: Changes are coming to the BCCI’s player contracts for Indian cricket stars. The A+ contract category was introduced recently, and big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah are at the top. Even though Kohli and Sharma announced their retirement from T20I games after India’s victory in the 2024 World Cup, they are likely to keep their A+ status for the 2024-25 contracts. This is because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decides contracts by reviewing past performances, which can sometimes make it confusing.

The last contract announcement made Ravindra Jadeja a top-tier player too. He’ll probably stay there even though he also ended his T20I career. The BCCI will look at performances from October 2023 to September 2024 to decide who will get contracts. During this time, India shined in white-ball cricket, including a run to the finals in the 2023 ODI World Cup and winning the T20 World Cup in 2024. Players who showed great skills in these events will definitely be rewarded.

However, after the T20 World Cup, India faced some tough series, including losing at home to New Zealand. They also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and missed out on the World Test Championship final. But the recent Champions Trophy win was a bright spot.

When contracts for 2025-26 are decided next October, those performances will matter a lot more. To make it to the ₹7 crore A+ list, players need to show they can play well in all formats of the game. Besides the retirements, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also announced he’s done with international cricket.

With many changes happening in Indian cricket, new stars are starting to come forward. Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are two players to watch, but they need to improve their overall game. Gill has been great in ODIs but needs to do better in other formats, while Pant has mostly shone in Tests.

Shreyas Iyer is likely to get back into the India contract because of his good performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He missed out last time due to disagreements about his injury, but he played well in domestic cricket afterward. Ishan Kishan, who missed recent domestic games, could also return as he has been a regular player in various formats.

Mohammed Shami might not be on the contract list since he missed a lot of time due to injuries. However, exceptions can be made for injured players. Last year, Hardik Pandya was the only player who didn’t play Test cricket but still made it to Category A, thanks to his unique skills and success in T20.

Players who play at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is during the review period can get into the ₹1 crore Grade C list. Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan are expected to be included. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who started his Test career strongly and performed well in T20Is, is also showing promise and might move up from Grade B.