Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli in Grade B: How BCCI’s central contracts are structured for 2025-26; what lies ahead

The BCCI announced the annual central contracts for the India senior men’s team for the 2025–26 season in February 2026. The contracts cover the period from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, with the current contract cycle set to conclude next month.

The retainership system places players in graded categories based on their performances, contribution to Indian cricket and involvement across formats. The BCCI currently has three active tiers—Grade A, Grade B and Grade C—after phasing out the earlier A+ category. The annual fixed retainer is ₹5 crore for Grade A, ₹3 crore for Grade B and ₹1 crore for Grade C.

In addition to retainers, players receive match fees and can earn performance-based incentives. The central contracts are designed to provide financial stability to players while rewarding their contribution and continued involvement with the national team.

Who made the cut in the 2025–26 BCCI contracts?

The current contract list includes several established stars as well as younger players who have become part of India's wider international setup.

Grade A: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

Grade B: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer

Grade C: Axar 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 Sudarshan, Ravi Bishnoi and Ruturaj Gaikwad

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Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Grade B

One of the notable features of the 2025–26 contracts is the placement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Grade B.

Both players have retired from T20Is and Tests but continue to be available for India in ODIs. In the previous contract cycle, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were among the players in the top A+ category, alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.

Their move to Grade B reflects the change in their international roles following their retirement from two formats.

What the BCCI grades mean for players

The central-contract structure gives the BCCI a framework to retain players across India's different formats and provide financial support through the season.

Grade A players receive the highest fixed annual retainer of ₹5 crore, followed by ₹3 crore for Grade B and ₹1 crore for Grade C. These retainers are separate from match fees and other performance-linked payments.

The system also gives players competing for places in India's Test, ODI and T20I squads a defined contractual structure.

What lies ahead?

With the current central contract cycle ending on September 30, 2026, the BCCI will reassess player grades for the next season based on performances, availability and their roles across formats.

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