The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday announced the 'Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men)' for the 2023-24 season, covering the period of October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. As many as 30 players were named in the list, but the biggest surprise was the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. (More Cricket News)
"Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations," the BCCI said.
The duo were in the news for missing out on playing the Ranji Trophy matches. Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma has set the record straight by stating that the players who are 'hungry' to play at the highest level will be considered for selection.
The duo were in the news for missing out on playing the Ranji Trophy matches. Skipper Rohit Sharma set the record straight by stating that the players who are 'hungry' to play at the highest level will be considered for selection.
"This (Test cricket) is the toughest format," said Sharma at the press conference after India’s five-wicket win against England here on Monday. "And if you want success and want to excel in this tough format, then you need that hunger. It is very important. We will give opportunities only to players who have that hunger.
“You come to know the players who don't have that hunger, players who don't want to stay here. We come to know that. Players who have that hunger, players who want to stay here and perform, play in tough conditions, we will give preference to them. It is pretty simple; if you don't have hunger, there's no meaning in playing such players.”
Even the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had fired a warning to players who miss playing domestic games and prioritise the IPL and would face 'severe implications'.
Full list of players who have been given central contracts
Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja
Grade A: R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya
Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Rajat Patidar.
The Selection Committee has also recommended Fast Bowling contracts for the following athletes – Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal and Vidwath Kaverappa.
In the top tier of the BCCI's annual central contracts remained unchanged, with Rohit, his predecessor Virat Kohli, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the A+ category.
The second tier, Grade A, has Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya. Fast-rising star Yashasvi Jaiswal has got his first central contract. The 22-year-old opener has been placed in the third tier (Grade B), along with Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.
Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar are in the fourth tier.
Of these, Rinku, Tilak, Gaikwad, Dube, Bishnoi, Jitesh, Mukesh, Prasidh, Avesh and Patidar are in the list for the first time.
Other notable players who have failed to make the cut are: Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Hooda and Yuzvendra Chahal.
It's worth noting that the BCCI did not mention the amounts for the contracts. In the last period, the Indian cricket board offered INR 7 crore to A+, INR 5 crore to A, INR 3 crore to B, and INR 1 crore to C players.
