BCCI to Discuss Changes in Men’s Central Contract System at Apex Council Meeting
Selection committee proposals may reshape player grading and retainers, including possible phase-out of Grade A.
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to discuss potential changes to the men’s central contract system during its upcoming Apex Council meeting, following proposals submitted by the five-member selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar.
Sources revealed on Tuesday that while the selection panel has put forward some recommendations, top board officials have yet to formally receive them, and the proposals will be deliberated during the forthcoming meeting.
“Discussion on possible changes to the grading system in India’s men’s central contracts will take place in the next Apex Council meeting,” said a source. “Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee has submitted proposals, which will be formally reviewed at the meeting. The date will be announced in due course.”
It is understood that Grade A may gradually be phased out, but any final decision, including changes to retainers or financial structures, will only be implemented after formal approval by the Apex Council.
Currently, India’s male cricketers receive annual retainers along with match fees for different formats, divided into Grades A, A, B, and C. Grade A players receive ₹7 crore, Grade A ₹5 crore, Grade B ₹3 crore, and Grade C ₹1 crore annually.
Senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja are currently in the A bracket. Observers will be keen to see if players like Kohli and Rohit, who primarily play ODIs, and Jadeja, who plays both Tests and ODIs, remain in the top-tier retainer bracket, especially if the system is revised.
According to the 2024/25 contract list announced on 21 April 2025, Grade A players included Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (now India’s Test and ODI captain), Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Rishabh Pant. Grade B included T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer.
Grade C encompassed players like Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dubey, 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 Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana.
