Here are some changes that we could see in the BCCI Central Contracts list for the 2025-26 season.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce the list of central contract for the 2025-26 season. This is reportedly because of the ongoing 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the final of which will be held in Dubai on Sunday. Rohit Sharma-led India will lock horns against Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand in the summit clash as the Men in Blue aim to clinch a second ICC title in as many years.
The BCCI will closely monitor the players’ performances in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday after which the contracts are expected. The yearly contracts are usually finalised before the start of the IPL season. Meanwhile, India enter the Champions Trophy final on the back of an unbeaten run. While they defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage, the Men in Blue ousted Australia in the semi-finals.
Quite a few changes can be expected as and when the BCCI announces the central contract list.
One of the notable developments is that of Shreyas Iyer, who is set to return to the BCCI central contract list. Last year, Shreyas Iyer along with Ishan Kishan had been omitted from the BCCI contract list altogether following their failure to commit to their domestic teams as per BCCI’s demands.
Iyer, however, has impressed in international cricket recently and is likely to retain his central contract, according to the Times of India. The 30-year-old scored two fifties in the ODI series against England and has done the same in the Champions Trophy, where he has scored 195 runs from four matches. Kishan, on the other hand, last played for India in November 2023 and is unlikely to bag a contract.
With the recent spike in his leadership credentials, Iyer can be expected to return to the contract list and could even be in contention for a role at the helm if Rohit Sharma moves on from ODIs after the Champions Trophy 2025.
There’s also a chance that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gets relegated from A+ grade to the A grade after his T20I retirement. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was India’s silver lining with the bat in Australia, and with his promise across formats, could be rewarded with an A grade contract. Pacer Mohammed Siraj has not been at his best recently and was also dropped from India’s Champions Trophy squad. This could mean that the Hyderabad cricketer drops down to Grade B and join Washington Sundar, who could get promoted from Grade C.
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After having been promoted to Grade A contract last year, vice-captain Shubman Gill could be rewarded with an A+ contract following his stellar displays with the bat. Gill recently scored an unbeaten century against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy. With him being a long term prospect for the team and possibly even the face of the Indian team in the next decade, an A+ contract could be in the offing. All-rounder Axar Patel has shown his ability to bat at number five in ODIs and he could be rewarded with a promotion to Grade A.
It’s no secret that India are going through a transitional phase. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are at the fag end of their careers which is why BCCI have a big call to make as far as the duo’s contracts are concerned. There are even speculations of the duo announcing their retirements after the Champions Trophy. Both of the are currently the A+ category along with Ravindra Jadeja.
“Rohit still believes there is some cricket left in him. He has been told to communicate his plans going forward. Retiring is his call but there will be another discussion around continuing with captaincy. Rohit himself understands the need to have a stable captain if the team wants to prepare for a World Cup. There have been talks with Kohli too but there doesn’t seem to be much anxiety around him,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
“The board will wait for Rohit’s decision after the Champions Trophy. If by any chance he chooses to retire, then the board will see what needs to be done. One can’t discount the fact that he won the T20 World Cup in July and has led well in the Champions Trophy as well,” added the source.
There are a couple of names when it comes to the possible new players’ list to the BCCI central contracts. These are Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana. Both of them made their mark in international cricket over the last year and both have impressed in their own ways. Nitish, in particular, has demonstrated versatility with the bat and was excellent in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. Rana, on the other hand, is being seen as someone who can lead the Indian pace attack in the future.
Shardul Thakur, KS Bharat, Avesh Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad could be the ones missing out on central contracts this time around.
KS Bharat has fallen out of favour ever since Rishabh Pant returned, with Dhruv Jurel (currently in Grade C) also in the mix, whereas Avesh Khan and Ruturaj Gaikwad haven’t got enough game time. The same goes with Jitesh Sharma too, who last played a T20I in January 2024 and wasn’t considered for the T20 World Cup later that year. All these players currently feature in the Grade C category.
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