Big names return as BCCI announces central contracts for Indian men's team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the central contracts for the Indian men's senior team for the 2024–25 season on Monday, April 21.

Star players Rohit Sharma (ODI and Test captain), Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah have been placed in Grade A+, the highest category.

One of the biggest talking points is the return of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who were left out last year after not playing domestic cricket. Both have made a strong comeback and earned contracts this time.

In total, 34 players have been awarded contracts. While most names are familiar, a few new faces have been added as well. Promising youngsters like Abhishek Sharma, who has impressed in T20Is, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who recently debuted in T20Is and Tests, and pacer Harshit Rana have received their first-ever central contracts.

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who played a key role in India's T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025 wins, has been promoted from Grade B to Grade A. Retired spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is no longer on the list.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj, who was dropped from the ODI team before the Champions Trophy, has kept his spot in Grade A.

Shreyas Iyer has been included in Grade B, along with young star Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was in Grade C last year.

Some players have been dropped from the list. These include KS Bharat (Test wicketkeeper) and Avesh Khan (T20 pacer). Batter Sarfaraz Khan, who has played for India in Tests, has now earned a place in Grade C after meeting the match criteria.

Surprisingly, Varun Chakravarthy, who was the hero in India's Champions Trophy campaign, has also made a comeback after missing out earlier. However, T20I wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma has been left out this time.

BCCI Central Contracts 2024-25

Grade A+ (4 players):

Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli
Ravindra Jadeja
Jasprit Bumrah

Grade A (6 players):

Mohammed Siraj
KL Rahul
Shubman Gill
Hardik Pandya
Mohammed Shami
Rishabh Pant

Grade B (5 players):

Suryakumar Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav
Axar Patel
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Shreyas Iyer

Grade C (19 players):

Arshdeep Singh
Rinku Singh
Tilak Varma
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shivam Dube
Ravi Bishnoi
Washington Sundar
Mukesh Kumar
Sanju Samson
Prasidh Krishna
Rajat Patidar
Dhruv Jurel
Sarfaraz Khan
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Ishan Kishan
Abhishek Sharma
Akash Deep
Varun Chakravarthy
Harshit Rana