The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its annual central contracts on February 9, 2026, for the period from October 1, 2025, to September
30, 2026.
This cycle saw significant restructuring, including the elimination of the top-tier A+ category (previously worth ₹7 crore annually), leaving three grades: A (₹5 crore), B (₹3 crore), and C (₹1 crore) for men, based on last year's pay scales. A total of 30 senior men and 21 senior women received contracts.
The decisions reflect players' performances, participation across formats, and leadership roles in the previous season. Veterans like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were downgraded to Grade B, attributed to their retirements from certain formats.
BCCI Central Contract 2025-26: Full Players List
| Grade | Players |
|---|---|
| A | Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| B | Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer |
| C | Axar Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, 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 |
Four players who deserved better in BCCI Contract
The BCCI's 2025-26 men's central contracts have drawn criticism for undervaluing consistent performers amid a focus on youth, multi-format play, and current form. The announcement sparked discussions in the media and on social platforms, as ex-players spoke against some of the decisions.
Axar Patel's Demotion to Grade C
Axar Patel, a reliable all-rounder across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, was downgraded from Grade B to C despite strong contributions in recent ICC events and consistent performances. His versatility as a left-arm spinner and lower-order batter, often crucial in spin conditions, makes this drop feel undeserved compared to less multi-format players in higher grades.
Former India player Aakash Chopra openly criticized the decision and asked what the player can do more to be among the top bracket players.
KL Rahul's Stagnation in Grade B
KL Rahul remains in Grade B without promotion, despite solid multi-format contributions as a Test opener and ODI wicketkeeper-batter, including strong averages and key innings. His consistency and leadership potential are undervalued amid India's transition, especially when compared to single-format or less consistent players in similar or higher brackets. Rahul should've been among the top earners.
Arshdeep Singh's Retention in Grade C
Arshdeep Singh stays in Grade C despite his dominance in T20Is, with nearly 100 wickets and standout performances in death overs during major tournaments. As a rising pace option with ODI exposure, his lack of promotion ignores his growing impact and consistency, particularly when less experienced or format-limited pacers receive better recognition. This is seen as failing to reward emerging white-ball talent adequately.
Mohammed Shami's Complete Exclusion
Mohammed Shami was dropped entirely from contracts after injury recovery and dedicated domestic efforts, including Ranji Trophy showings to regain fitness. His proven record of over 250 Test wickets and past excellence make the omission harsh, with critics calling it unfair given his commitment to red-ball cricket when others showed less.
| Player | Current Grade | Previous Grade | Why deserved Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axar Patel | C | B | Demotion despite all-format contributions and ICC successes |
| KL Rahul | B | B | No promotion for multi-format reliability |
| Arshdeep Singh | C | C | No upgrade despite T20 dominance and potential |
| Mohammed Shami | None | A | Full exclusion after injury recovery efforts |
Has Jasprit Bumrah been overpaid?
A section has taken a note on Jasprit Bumrah's retention as a Grade A player. Although the Indian pacer has done extremely well in national colours, he has been extremely selective of the matches. The workload management, injury issues have largely limited Bumrah's game time, and the player has been active in only two formats since the 2023 ICC World Cup. In fact, the final of the World Cup in Ahmedabad was the last that Bumrah played in the ODI format, which has further heightened the questions over his inclusion at the top tier.
