The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the central contracts for the 2024-25 season on April 21, 2025, retaining stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the prestigious Grade A+ category. The duo is joined by Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, all of whom remain integral parts of India’s cricketing setup despite stepping away from T20Is after the team’s triumphant T20 World Cup 2024 campaign.
Big Comebacks: Iyer and Kishan Return
One of the biggest takeaways from this year’s central contracts is the return of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, both of whom were dropped earlier in 2024 for declining to participate in domestic cricket. The duo has now been reinstated, with Iyer placed in Grade B and Kishan in Grade C.
Promotions and New Faces
Rishabh Pant, who returned to international cricket after a lengthy injury layoff, has been promoted to Grade A from his previous Grade B position. Joining him in the same category are Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Shami.
Grade B features a mix of white-ball and red-ball regulars including Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer.
Grade C includes some exciting young talent, most notably Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson, along with several new additions. Among the newly contracted players are Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Abhishek Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana—a promising step forward in India’s talent pipeline.
Who Missed Out?
While many young guns found their place on the contracts list, some familiar names were axed. The BCCI dropped Shardul Thakur, KS Bharat, Avesh Khan, and Jitesh Sharma from the 2024-25 contracts list. All four were previously part of Grade C.
Expected Contract Salaries
Though the BCCI didn’t officially reveal the salary structure, it’s understood that the players will receive the following annual retainers:
- Grade A+ – ₹7 crore
- Grade A – ₹5 crore
- Grade B – ₹3 crore
- Grade C – ₹1 crore
Full List of BCCI Central Contracts for 2024-25:
Grade A+
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Ravindra Jadeja
Grade A
- Mohammed Siraj
- KL Rahul
- Shubman Gill
- Hardik Pandya
- Mohammed Shami
- Rishabh Pant
Grade B
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Axar Patel
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Shreyas Iyer
Grade C
- Rinku Singh
- Tilak Varma
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Shivam Dube
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Washington Sundar
- Mukesh Kumar
- Sanju Samson
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prasidh Krishna
- Rajat Patidar
- Dhruv Jurel
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Ishan Kishan
- Abhishek Sharma
- Akash Deep
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Harshit Rana
The inclusion of several domestic performers in the central contracts is a clear message from the BCCI: performing in domestic and IPL circuits can pave the path to national recognition. The return of Iyer and Kishan also indicates that the board remains open to second chances—provided players adhere to BCCI guidelines.
With a balanced mix of experience and youth, the 2024-25 contracts list sets the tone for another competitive year in Indian cricket.
