On February 28 (Wednesday), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the annual central contracts list for players. This announcement marks a pivotal moment each year, as it outlines the players who have been recognised for their contributions and performances by being awarded contracts from the governing body of cricket in India. While their were no changes in the A-plus category, there were numerous other ups and downs on the central contract list.
Different categories of BCCI contracts
As per the contract structure set by the BCCI, players classified under Grade A-plus receive a sum of Rs 7 crore, while those in Grade A are awarded Rs 5 crore. Furthermore, individuals placed in Grade B and Grade C categories are compensated with Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively.
Let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers after BCCI revealed the central contracts:
Biggest winners
KL Rahul: The stylish cricketer earned a promotion from Grade B category to Grade A.
Shubman Gill: The young star of Indian cricket was also awarded for his consistent run with the national team across formats and was promoted to Grade A from Grade B.
Mohammed Siraj: One of India's premier pacers, Siraj moved up to Grade A from Grade B category.
Winners
Yashasvi Jaiswal: The future superstar of Indian cricket, Jasiwal was not a BCCI central contracted player until last year. The young batter has now been placed in the Grade B category.
Kuldeep Yadav: The left-arm wrist spinner deservedly earned a promotion from Grade C to Grade B category.
Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar were also awarded a central contract by the Indian cricket board and they have been placed in Grade C category.
Losers
Axar Patel: The all-rounder moved down one category from Grade A to Grade B.
Rishabh Pant: The wicketkeeper-batter was previously in Grade A category but in the latest list, Pant has placed in Grade B.
Biggest Losers
Shreyas Iyer: The Mumbai batter, who was in the Grade B category previously, was stripped of his contract by the BCCI.
Ishan Kishan: The wicketkeeper-batter, who was in the Grade C category, was also stripped of his contract by the BCCI.
Here are the latest BCCI contracts:
Grade A-plus: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja
Grade A: R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya.
Grade B: Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, 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
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
BCCI announces annual central contracts; no Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer on the list
BCCI punishes Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan by stripping them of central contracts, issues a big statement for all Indian cricketers
