The Board of Control for Cricket in India has contractual agreements every year to award its contracted players under four categories.
These contracts essentially make these players’ retainers to play for the Indian team. The selection of these contracts depends to a great extent on the performances of these players in all three formats of the game. Even though the last list of these contracts was announced in April 2025, buzz is already doing the rounds that senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are likely to get a pay cut. The contracts are designed to promote performances and push players to participate actively, especially in Tests.
BCCI Central Contract Pattern
BCCI classifies the contract into grades of A+, A, B, and C, and each of these grades bears a fixed retainer fee every year. This retainer fee is irrespective of the number of games in which a player performs, apart from the match fees.
Allocation of these grades happens every year; the process involves the BCCI and consultations with the selection committee, head coach, and captain of the team. The grading takes place after scrutinizing various important elements:
Commitment & Priority: Players showing brilliance in Test cricket usually have better contracts. Only the best players are considered for the A+ category if they are playing in all forms. Since Gill is leading in the Test format as well as in the ODIs, it is certain that he would be promoted to the A+ category.
Performance: The performance of a player in the past contract cycle has a great impact on their performance rating. Players with good performances get a promotion, while those who falter might get a demotion.
Minimum Match Requirement
There are minimum participation requirements for players for them to be eligible for participation in a contract, no matter which Grade C it is. These normally revolve around participation in a certain number of matches, for example, 3 Test matches, 8 ODIs, and 10 Twenty20 Internationals. The minimum number of matches played does not necessarily result in the higher Grade C being given.
Domestic Cricket Participation: The BCCI requires all centrally contracted players to be accessible for home domestic first-class cricket, including the Ranji Trophy, when they are not involved with the Indian national side. A breach was seen with players such as Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who were not selected for the contracts because they were not frequently available for domestic cricket.
Possible Salary Cuts For Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
A+ current holders, and featuring both Kohli and Rohit, they are expected to come down as they do not represent the country either in the Test or T20 format. Ravindra Jadeja, also retired from the T20 format, could hold on to the A+ rating as he is part of the Test squad. If Kohli and Rohit are truly upgraded to the Grade A category, their retainership pay will decrease from 7 crores in the A+ category to 5 crores, a difference of 2 crores per year.