The BCCI is set to announce its central contracts for men’s cricket in a few days. Shreyas Iyer will reportedly make a comeback to the list and new names like Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan, and Nitish Kumar Reddy likely to be included. Major revamp in the A+ category is also expected with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to announce the central contracts for men’s cricket in the coming days, with major changes expected in the structure.
Shreyas Iyer is reportedly poised to make a comeback into the BCCI’s central contract list after a stellar year for India with the bat. Iyer was part of the Indian team that recently won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.
Meanwhile, new names such as Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan, and
Nitish Kumar Reddy are likely to be inducted because to their performances for India in Test cricket. Additionally, some key players might receive promotions across different categories. Yashasvi Jaiswal is one such name poised to be elevated for his achievements across formats.
Shreyas Iyer’s return and other expected additions
Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the central contracts list last season after controversy over missing out on domestic cricket, is almost certain to make a comeback. According to a PTI report, Iyer’s performances and the fact that he has played 11 ODIs in the current season, makes him eligible for a spot in one of the categories in the BCCI’s central contracts list.
The BCCI’s contract policy requires a player to have participated in at least three Tests, eight ODIs, or 10 T20Is in a calendar year to be considered for a contract. This norm makes players like Bengal pacer Akash Deep (seven Tests) and Sarfaraz Khan (three Tests) strong candidates for Grade C (Rs 1 crore retainership).
Similarly, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who played all five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series and four T20Is, is also eligible for inclusion in the contract list.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Axar Patel in line for an upgrade
Another key discussion point is Yashasvi Jaiswal’s potential promotion. The young batter, who currently holds a Grade B (Rs 3 crore retainership) contract, has shown promise across all formats. Given his performances, he could be promoted to a higher category.
Axar Patel, who was recently named vice-captain for the England T20I series and is a regular in both white-ball formats, is a strong contender for promotion from Grade B to A (Rs 5 crore retainership). India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is also expected to get a promotion ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who were part of last year’s contracts list, do not currently meet the minimum match requirements for renewal. However, the selection committee, in consultation with the head coach Gautam Gambhir and secretary Devajit Saikia, has the authority to make exceptions.
The current list of centrally contracted players
Major changes are expected in the top-tier A+ category. Last season, the A+ bracket included Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah. However, with Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja retiring from T20Is, they are no longer active across all three formats and may be dropped from the category. Bumrah will most likely keep his spot. A+ contracts, which come with a retainership fee of Rs 7 crore, are typically reserved for all-format players.
Rohit Sharma (Grade A+), Virat Kohli (Grade A+), Jasprit Bumrah (Grade A+), Ravindra Jadeja (Grade A+), Ravichandran Ashwin (Grade A), Mohammad Shami (Grade A), Mohammed Siraj (Grade A), KL Rahul (Grade A), Shubman Gill (Grade A), Hardik Pandya (Grade A)
Suryakumar Yadav (Grade B), Rishabh Pant (Grade B), Kuldeep Yadav (Grade B), Axar Patel (Grade B), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Grade B)
Rinku Singh (Grade C), Tilak Varma (Grade C), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Grade C), Shardul Thakur (Grade C), Shivam Dube (Grade C), Ravi Bishnoi (Grade C), Jitesh Sharma (Grade C), Washington Sundar (Grade C), Mukesh Kumar (Grade C), Sanju Samson (Grade C), Arshdeep Singh (Grade C), KS Bharat (Grade C), Prasidh Krishna (Grade C), Avesh Khan (Grade C), Rajat Patidar (Grade C), Sarfaraz Khan (Grade C), Dhruv Jurel (Grade C)