BCCI took decisive action by excluding Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from the latest list of central contracts. The omission comes as a consequence of the duo consistently disregarding BCCI’s directives. The central contracts for 2023-24, revealed on Wednesday, feature India captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja in the Grade A+ category.
Iyer and Ishan attracted attention for their prolonged absence from the Ranji Trophy, despite BCCI’s emphasis on the significance of playing First-Class cricket alongside the IPL. With no change in their stance, BCCI decided to drop the two-star Indian cricketers. The board clarified their absence from the central contracts in a statement.
Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma are among the new faces added to the central contracts list, securing spots in the Grade C category, which includes 15 players. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Jitesh Sharma, who replaced Ishan Kishan in the Indian T20I team, also feature in this category.
Rishabh Pant, recovering from a car crash in December 2022, is placed in Grade B, alongside Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pant is expected to return to action in the upcoming Indian Premier League, while Suryakumar continues to be a promising batter in the shortest format.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, contributing across multiple formats, find themselves in Grade A contracts. Yashasvi Jaiswal, recognized for consistent performances in T20Is and Tests, is also in Grade B.
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, along with pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, and batters KL Rahul and Shubman Gill, are in the Grade A category. Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder who led the Indian T20I squad in 2023, secures his spot in Grade A central contracts.
Players meeting specific criteria, such as participating in a minimum number of matches within the designated period, were automatically included in Grade C contracts. Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan could move to Grade C based on their participation in the upcoming Dharamsala Test against England.
In addition to annual contracts, the Selection Committee recommended fast Bowling contracts for players showing specialized skills and potential contributions to the bowling department. Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa are the recipients of these contracts.
The complete list of Central Contracts for 2023/24 is as follows:
Grade A+ (4 Athletes): Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Grade A (6 Athletes): R Ashwin, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya.
Grade B (5 Athletes): Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Grade C (15 Athletes): Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, and Rajat Patidar.
