BCCI Central Contract 2025–26: Kohli, Rohit Demoted To Group B

BCCI Announces India Men and Women Central Contract

BCCI Central Contract 2025–26 Announced for Team India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the Annual Player Retainership for the 2025–26 season. The list covers Team India Senior Men and Senior Women squads. The retainership reflects recent performances, fitness levels, and long-term planning across formats. Players are divided into Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C categories.

Grade A players would receive Rs 5 cr, Grade B players will get Rs 3 cr and Grade C players would get Rs 1 crore annually.

Senior Men Retainership 2025–26

GradePlayers
Grade AShubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
Grade BRohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, Shreyas Iyer
Grade CAxar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturaj Gaikwad

Grade A features Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Gill enjoyed a prolific 2024–25 season with consistent Test and ODI runs. He averaged above 55 in Tests during the last international cycle. Bumrah remains India’s strike bowler across formats. He picked over 30 international wickets in the last year. Jadeja continues as a key all-rounder with bat, ball, and fielding impact.

Grade B includes senior stars and white-ball specialists. The list features Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya. Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj also retain Grade B spots. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav remain vital batting options. Washington Sundar and Shreyas Iyer complete the Grade B list. Kohli has averaged over 50 in ODIs since 2023. Pant returned strongly with aggressive Test batting. Kuldeep claimed more than 20 white-ball wickets last season.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2026 – Check Latest Points Table and Standings

Grade C highlights India’s growing bench strength. The group includes Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, and Sanju Samson. Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, and Arshdeep Singh remain retained. Varun Chakravarthy returns after injury recovery. Nitish Kumar Reddy earns his first annual retainership. Sai Sudharsan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Ravi Bishnoi stay on the list.

Senior Women Retainership 2025–26

GradePlayers
Grade AHarmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma
Grade BRenuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana
Grade CRadha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Goud, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, G. Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis

Grade A includes Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma. Mandhana scored over 600 ODI runs in the previous season. Harmanpreet remains India’s most experienced T20 batter. Deepti continues as a dependable spin all-rounder.

Also Read: ICC Rejects PCB and BCB Demands Over Tri-Series With India

Grade B features Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Sneh Rana. Shafali returned after improving consistency and strike rate. Richa impressed with power hitting and wicketkeeping skills. Grade C focuses on emerging women cricketers. The list includes Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia, and Harleen Deol. Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry, and Arundhati Reddy remain retained. Several young players continue under long-term development plans. The retainership underlines continuity, performance rewards, and future-ready squad building.

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Sounak Sen

Sports Journalist

Sounak Sen is a dedicated sports journalist at Sports Ganga, bringing you the latest updates, in-depth analysis, and expert insights on cricket, football, and other major sports events.

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