2 LSG pacers to RCB's expensive recruit: 4 notable omissions in BCCI's long list of centrally contracted players

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a list of 34 players who have earned annual central contral. There have been several editions but four players have been omitted. Here is the list of players who are now without a central contract from the BCCI -
 

1. Pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur does not have a central contract. Thakur has not played international cricket since December 2023. An injury ruled him out of action for several months and he is yet to earn his place back in the squad despite performances in domestic cricket. He is currently playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2025.
 

2. Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma's last T20I appearance was against Afghanistan in January 2024. With Rishabh Pant making a comeback, Sanju Samson opening the innings in T20Is, Jitesh has been dropped from the list of centrally contracted players. Jitesh is currently playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025.
 

3. 28-year-old Avesh Khan's last T20I appearance was in November 2024 against South Africa. Avesh has been in and out of the side. Currently, he is playing for LSG in IPL 2025 and delivered one of the best slog overs spell against his former franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR).
 

4. With Rishabh Pant making a comeback after recovering from injuries suffered in horrific accident, Srikar Bharat has been out of the Test squad. Bharat's last Test appearance was against England in February 2024. He was replaced by Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper-batter after failing to hit a fifty in seven Tests. He is currently without an IPL contract as well. 
 

Another omission from the list is Ravichandran Ashwin who retired from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. India's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests had a Grade 'A' contract. He is currently playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2025. 
 

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have earned back their central contracts after getting dropped for missing domestic cricket. Iyer was India's highest run-scorer in ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He got a Grade B contract. Meanwhile, Kishan is yet to make a comeback to the international side. He has been playing in domestic cricket now.