BCCI Contracts Overhaul: Major Changes From 2024-25 To 2025-26 Season

BCCI Contracts: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced significant changes to its central contract structure for the 2025-26 season, marking a notable shift from the 2024-25 retainership list. The revised contracts reflect India's evolving team composition, changing leadership dynamics, and the increasing importance of format-specific players.

One of the biggest alterations in the new retainership system is the removal of the prestigious Grade A+ category. During the 2024-25 season, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja occupied the top bracket, highlighting their importance across formats.

However, with Rohit and Kohli stepping away from T20 internationals after the 2024 World Cup and subsequently

retiring from Test cricket in 2025, both legends have been moved to Grade B in the latest contracts. The decision reflects their reduced participation in international cricket compared to earlier years.

With the A+ tier discontinued, Grade A has now become the highest category in the 2025-26 list. Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer form the new core group. Gill's elevation underlines his growing stature as India's Test and ODI captain. Bumrah continues to be a vital member of the bowling attack despite managing his workload across formats, while Jadeja remains India's most experienced Test player following the retirements of senior stalwarts.

The reshuffle has also seen several players move across categories. Washington Sundar, who was in Grade C in 2024-25, has been promoted to Grade B, signalling his increasing role in the national setup. Similarly, players like Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy have secured spots in Grade B, highlighting the BCCI's focus on strengthening squad depth.

The Grade C category for 2025-26 features emerging and fringe players such as Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The inclusion of younger talents indicates the board's long-term vision of nurturing a strong pipeline for future international assignments.