- By Namrata Vijay
- Tue, 20 Jan 2026 01:47 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India's star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are all set to be demoted to the second category of the BCCI's central contract when the list for this year is revealed. As per ANI, the Ajit Agarkar-led senior committee is planning to get rid of the A-plus category from the 4-tier retainership system.
The BCCI hasn't finalised these recommendations yet for the senior men's team. As per sources, the selection committee’s proposal will be discussed at their next council meeting.
The BCCI's central contracts are lucrative in nature and are given to Indian cricketers. They have been divided into 4 categories- A+, A, B, and C, where the players earn Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore, and Rs 1 crore. All those players who are part of this contract list are also given extra benefits like year-round access to the Centre of Excellence and medical support for injuries and rehabilitation.
ALSO READ: India’s Top Pole-Vaulter Dev Meena Thrown Off Train By TTE, Video Sparks Controversy
If the A-plus category is removed, then both Rohit and Virat Kohli will be put in the B category.
It's quite clear that both Rohit and Won't belong to the top category, as it's for those players who play in at least two formats. They were a part of the A-plus category along with Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja during the 2024–25 annual retainership list. But both Rohit and Kohli retired from the longest format halfway through the IPL and now play in just the ODI. They were given the annual retention of 2024-25 for the period between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.
It would be interesting to see if Jadeja, who plays in the longest format, would retain his spot in the top category. At the same time, Shubman Gill, who is India's Test and ODI skipper, might be promoted to the top category.
EXISTING BCCI ANNUAL RETAINERSHIP CONTRACT
A+: Rs. 7 crore
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja.
A: Rs. 5 crore
Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant.
B: Rs. 3 crore
Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer.
C: Rs. 1 crore
Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.
All those players are given the central contract who have either played in 3 Test matches, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is.