Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan among five players dropped from BCCI central contracts

Mumbai, 20 May 2025: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled its annual list of centrally contracted players for the 2025-26 season on Monday, trimming the men’s roster from 34 to 30 and signalling a generational shift by omitting five names that figured in last year’s set-up.

Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan, top-order batter Rajat Patidar, prolific domestic run-scorer Sarfaraz Khan and seamer Mukesh Kumar have all been left out after failing to meet the board’s revised eligibility criteria, which prioritise recent international appearances and overall impact during the assessment window. None of the quintet played a single senior international fixture in the period under review, although Kishan has since earned a recall to the T20I squad in the fresh cycle.

The restructuring also abolished the top-tier A+ category, introduced during the Committee of Administrators era to reward consistent excellence across formats. With only Jasprit Bumrah now an automatic pick in all three teams, the BCCI felt the bracket had outlived its utility. The move has reshuffled the hierarchy, placing 30 men and 21 women in Groups A, B and C.

Senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been relegated to Group B, a decision long anticipated after their respective retirements from Tests and T20Is reduced them to single-format availability. Under the current guidelines, multi-format participation is a prerequisite for the higher grades.

Rising star Shubman Gill, fresh from being appointed captain in two formats, headlines Group A alongside Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, marking the first time the 25-year-old has secured the highest retainer since the system’s inception. While the BCCI did not publish the exact figures, Group A was last valued at Rs 5 crore per annum, with Groups B and C set at Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Tamil Nadu opener Sai Sudharsan is the lone new face on the men’s list, rewarded for consistent domestic output and promising white-ball displays. On the women’s side, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, opener Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Deepti Sharma retained their Group A status, while Jemimah Rodrigues climbed a rung after a series of match-winning performances in the recent World Cup.

With the 2025-26 international calendar set to intensify, the streamlined contracts underline the selectors’ emphasis on current form, fitness and multi-format availability, leaving several established names to fight their way back into contention.