On April 21, the BCCI announced its central contracts, and nothing really came as a surprise. Players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were brought back, while retired names like Ravichandran Ashwin were naturally left out. On the brighter side, consistent performers like Rishabh Pant were rewarded with promotions.
Still, one thing didn’t quite make sense. Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma were kept in the Grade A+ group. According to BCCI’s own rules, this top category with a Rs 7 crore salary is only for players who play all three formats for India. But these three do not anymore. After winning the T20 World Cup in 2024 they announced their retirement from T20Is. That makes them two-format players now. So, they shouldn’t really be in Grade A+. Then why did BCCI still give them that spot?
What’s the Logic Behind Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja’s A+ Contract Eligibility?
As per PTI, the BCCI said the contracts cover the period from October 2024 to September 2025, but players were judged based on their performance from October 2023 to September 2024. In that time, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja represented India in all three formats. They only retired from T20Is in June 2024, after the World Cup win. So technically, they were still eligible for the A+ contracts during the evaluation window. That’s why they were included. Going by this logic, when the next round of contracts is announced, they likely won’t be placed in the top bracket.
“The period of fresh central contract is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025 but the assessment year is October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024 – Kohli, Rohit & Jadeja played the T20 World Cup final in June, 2024 and hence at that time, they were all-format regulars. Going by that technicality, they are supposed to be in A+ category”. BCCI Official said.
