India: Shreyas Iyer levels up in BCCI contract list
Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have all moved up to Grade B contracts in the latest changes to the BCCI’s central contracts list.
A total of 27 players have been handed annual central contracts by the BCCI.
India have slashed the number of Grade A contracts from 10 to five with allrounder Hardik Pandya and senior batter Shikhar Dhawan suffering the biggest slides.
Shreyas Iyer moves up as others drop down
Also demoted are Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara who seem to be nearing the twilight of their careers.
Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli remain in the top pay bracket as the three A+ contract holders.
The annual contracts – running from October 2021 to September 2022 – were ratified by the BCCI’s Apex Council this week.
Batter Suryakumar Yadav joins the ranks of the centrally contracted as the only newcomer.
Two players were cut from the central contract list with India set to reduce the amount it spends on player salaries. Kuldeep Yadav is in the current Test squad but his contract was not renewed, nor was that of pace bowler Navdeep Saini.
There are now a dozen players in the Grade C contract category for India while fast bowler Shardul Thakur remained on the Grade B level.
In the women’s contracts, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Poonam Yadav have been joined by the likes of Deepti Sharma, and left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the ‘Grade A’ category.
Long-serving veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswanmi have retained their ‘Grade B’ slots. Meanwhile batter Jemimah Rodrigues, who was axed for India’s imminent World Cup campaign, has been dropped to the ‘Grade C’ category.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) latest contract list
‘A+’ contract – Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma.
‘A’ contract – Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami.
‘B’ contract – Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma.
‘C’ contract – Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Yuzvendra Chahal, Wriddhiman Saha, Suryakumar Yadav, Mayank Agarwal.
Latest
-
NewsIt’s a special place – England’s Kate Cross looking forward to West Indies tour
The seamer made her international bow in Barbados in 2013.
-
NewsHarry Brook confident England can take the wickets needed to beat Pakistan
The tourists toiled in the field on day two after being bowled out before lunch for 657.
-
NewsEngland made to toil after Pakistan pile on the runs in reply to 657 all out
Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique both moved towards centuries for the hosts.
-
NewsFormer Australia captain Ricky Ponting taken to hospital after feeling unwell
The 47-year-old had been commentating for Channel 7.
-
NewsPakistan respond strongly to England’s 657 in Rawalpindi
The hosts had no lost a wicket by tea.
-
NewsMickey Arthur extends stay as Derbyshire’s head of cricket
The South African has previously coached his homeland, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
-
NewsHarry Brook stars as England rack up 657 against Pakistan
The hosts were 17 without loss in reply.
-
NewsHeather Knight hopes her England team can become ‘world leaders’
Knight has recovered from a lengthy lay-off after hip surgery to lead this month’s white-ball tour of the West Indies.
-
NewsHarry Brook ‘probably happier’ with six fours in an over than maiden Test ton
The Yorkshireman struck an 80-ball ton.
-
NewsI’ve never seen a day like that – Record-breaking England delight Zak Crawley
Crawley was one of four England batters to make a century on the opening day of the first Test in Rawalpindi