How Ishan Kishan got back his central contract: BCCI retainership explained

The annual retainership contracts of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came with a few surprises. A total of 34 players were awarded central contracts for the 2024-25 season, with Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan regaining their retainerships after being left out last year.

While Shreyas Iyer’s return to the contracted players’ list was largely expected, a few eyebrows were raised when Ishan Kishan also regained his contract. The wicketkeeper-batter, who plays for SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, has not featured in international cricket during the contract period – from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.

Ishan last represented India in a T20I series against Australia at home in November 2023. He then travelled to South Africa as a back-up wicketkeeper but was not given an opportunity to play. Ishan returned home midway through the series, citing a need for rest due to a hectic schedule.

However, both Shreyas and Ishan were previously penalised for not prioritising domestic cricket at a time when the BCCI was emphasising the importance of contracted players participating in domestic fixtures.

That said, both players were regulars for their respective state teams – Mumbai and Jharkhand – during the 2024-25 season.

Shreyas returned to the senior national side for an ODI series in August 2024 and played a pivotal role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph.

Meanwhile, Ishan featured in the India A squad that toured Australia for two four-day matches ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, signalling that he remained in the BCCI’s plans. The 26-year-old had previously been part of all three formats for India, and the board appears to have taken his past performances into account when reinstating his contract.

However, Ishan’s immediate future with the senior national team remains uncertain, and his performances in IPL 2025 will be crucial if he is to find his way back into international contention.

THE BIG THREE RETAINED IN TOP BRACKET

Elsewhere, heavyweights Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja retained their places in the top bracket – Grade A+ – alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja retired from T20I cricket after starring in India’s T20 World Cup victory in June 2024. Despite this, the trio remain in the A+ category, which typically includes all-format players.

It remains to be seen whether these three will continue in the top bracket when contracts are up for renewal in 2026.

According to sources, the upcoming England tour, starting on June 20, could be crucial for both Rohit and Kohli’s Test futures following lean spells with the bat during the 2024-25 season.

Rishabh Pant was promoted from Grade B to Grade A, while R Ashwin was removed from the list following his retirement from all formats last year.

Jitesh Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, and KS Bharat were also dropped from the contracted players’ list, along with Ashwin.

BCCI ANNUAL RETAINDERSHIP FOR 2024-25

Grade A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja.

Grade A: Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant.

Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer.

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

BCCI ANNUAL RETAINERSHIP EXPLAINED

Grade A+ includes players who are regulars in all three formats of the game.
Grade A includes those who are consistent in Tests and participate in other formats.
Grade B covers players who are regulars in white-ball formats.
Grade C comprises players who are beginning to make their mark at the international level.

Last year, the BCCI stated: “Athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis.”

Players in the A+ category earn Rs 7 crore per annum, while those in Grade A earn Rs 5 crore. Grade B and Grade C players receive Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore per annum, respectively, through their contracts.