The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to discontinue the 'A+' category in its central contracts for the 2025-26 season, a move expected to bring about significant changes to the players' salary structure. Previously, this category included Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja; however, it has now been abolished.
This decision by the BCCI could result in a salary reduction of ₹2 crore for Jasprit Bumrah, as he has now been placed in Category 'A', which carries an annual retainer fee of ₹5 crore. The BCCI may, however, make further adjustments to the central contracts to compensate for this shortfall.
Potential Changes to BCCI Central Contracts
According to a report by *The Times of India*, the BCCI is considering making amendments to its central contracts specifically to accommodate Jasprit Bumrah. A BCCI source revealed that the Board is actively seeking a solution to ensure Bumrah receives the remuneration he rightfully deserves. There are other players as well whose salaries have been affected, and further modifications to the central contracts remain a possibility.
If the BCCI proceeds with these changes, Axar Patel—the vice-captain of the T20I squad—could also receive a higher salary from the Board. Axar is currently placed in Category 'C', which carries an annual retainer of just ₹1 crore. Given his pivotal contributions to India's victories in two T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy, several cricket experts had previously raised concerns regarding his relatively low remuneration; consequently, the BCCI may now decide to increase his salary.
It is worth noting that players in the 'A+' category were previously paid an annual retainer of ₹7 crore. To qualify for this category, a player was required to play across all three formats of the game and hold a top-10 ranking in at least one of those formats. However, with Rohit and Kohli now playing in only one format each, and Jadeja having retired from T20 Internationals, Bumrah remained the sole player left in this elite category.
Consequently, the Board decided to abolish this category entirely. As per this decision, both Bumrah and Jadeja have been placed in Category 'A', under which players receive an annual retainer of ₹5 crore. However, Rohit and Virat currently play in only one format, while Jadeja has retired from T20 Internationals. Consequently, Bumrah remains the sole player for whom the Board might consider making adjustments to the central contracts.
Who features in which grade within the BCCI Central Contracts?
Grade A: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja
Grade B: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, and Washington Sundar
Grade C: Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ruturaj Gaikwad
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