Pant Elevated to Grade A, Iyer and Kishan back in fold as BCCI Announces Central Contracts for 2025

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday released the central contracts list for the 2025 season, retaining the familiar four-tier format and introducing notable changes across categories. A total of 34 players have been awarded contracts, with major shuffles seen particularly in Grade C.

Pant Rises, Ashwin Exits

One of the key highlights of the list is the promotion of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to Grade A. After spending last season in Grade B, Pant’s steady return to form post-injury has earned him a spot alongside Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Shami. Veteran off-spinner R Ashwin is the only major exclusion from the A category, following his retirement from international cricket earlier this year.

Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Jadeja Continue to Rule

The elite Grade A+ category remains unchanged, with stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja continuing to occupy the top tier of Indian cricket’s contract hierarchy.

Iyer Returns, Grade B Remains Largely Unchanged

Shreyas Iyer has found his way back into the contract list and is placed in Grade B. He joins Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal—maintaining the core of last season’s B category.

Overhaul in Grade C

Grade C sees the most significant reshuffle, with several exclusions and exciting new additions. Jitesh Sharma, KS Bharath, and Avesh Khan—who were part of the previous list—have been dropped. Replacing them are promising names like Nitish Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, and Harshit Rana, all of whom have impressed in domestic and IPL performances.

Also featuring in Grade C are Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ishan Kishan, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Fast bowler Akash Deep, who previously held a fast-bowling contract, has now earned a full central contract and joins this group.

On the flip side, several players who held fast-bowling contracts last year—Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa—have missed out entirely this time around.

BCCI Central Contracts List 2025

Grade A+ (4 players):
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

Grade A (6 players):
Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya

Grade B (5 players):
Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Grade C (19 players):
Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, Shivam Dube.

With the BCCI showing a clear intent to reward performance and promise, the fresh look of the central contracts reflects both continuity and a nod to the emerging talent pool.