• Source:JND

The BCCI is considering changes to its central contract structure for the 2025-26 pay period, having earlier eliminated the top A+ category due to a lack of eligible players. During 2024-25, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja were in the A+ category.

Players in this category earn Rs 7 crore annually.

To qualify, players must represent India in all three formats and rank in the top 10 in at least one of them.

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Kohli and Rohit now play only one format each, and Jadeja has retired from T20Is, leaving just Bumrah in this group. As a result, the board removed the A+ category, moving Bumrah and Jadeja to the A category, where players earn Rs 5 crore annually.

According to the Times of India, the BCCI will compensate Bumrah for the Rs 2 crore in lost earnings after his move to the A category, despite his consistent performance across all formats. The goal is to ensure consistent performers receive comparable earnings.

“The board is considering how to compensate Bumrah. Reducing his fee from Rs 7 crore to Rs 5 crore would be unfair. Other strong performers have also moved down a grade. There may be a revision in contract values," a BCCI source told TOI.

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Axar Patel, India's T20I vice-captain, may also be eligible for revised compensation as he plays a key role in white-ball teams. Though he met earlier criteria for Grade A or B, he is now in Grade C, earning Rs 1 crore. It is unclear whether the criteria have changed.

BCCI’s Annual Retainership for 2025-26

The BCCI awarded central contracts to 30 players this month. Only three—Shubman Gill, Bumrah, and Jadeja—are in Grade A; the rest are in B and C.

The BCCI has not disclosed the latest pay structure for each contract category.

 


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