Full list of players promoted and demoted in BCCI annual contracts

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2024–25 cycle, spanning from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. Among the key changes, both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have returned to the central contract list—Shreyas earning a Grade B slot and Ishan placed in Grade C. Their omission last season had sparked debate, particularly after they opted out of Ranji Trophy participation, a decision that didn’t align well with BCCI’s expectations.

 

The top-tier Grade A+ category remains unchanged, featuring Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Veteran spinner R. Ashwin, having retired from Test cricket during the Australia tour, has not been awarded a contract for this cycle. 

 

  Rishabh Pant promoted to Group A  

One of the standout developments includes a promotion for Rishabh Pant, who has moved up from Grade B to Grade A following his return to fitness and consistent performances. The BCCI’s current contract system is divided into four tiers—Grade A+, Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C—covering a total of 34 players.

 

In addition to Iyer and Kishan, several new names have been added to the central contracts. These include Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Harshit Rana, all of whom have been placed in Grade C.

 

However, a few notable names have been dropped from the list. Shardul Thakur, Jitesh Sharma, KS Bharat, and Avesh Khan—all of whom were previously part of Grade C—no longer feature in this year’s contract rollout.

 

BCCI Central Contracts 2024–25:

 

Grade A+:

- Rohit Sharma  

- Virat Kohli  

- Jasprit Bumrah  

- 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 Varma  

- 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

 

  Promotions:

 

- Rishabh Pant: Grade B → Grade A  

- Shreyas Iyer: No Contract → Grade B  

- Ishan Kishan: No Contract → Grade C  

- Sarfaraz Khan: No Contract → Grade C  

- Nitish Kumar Reddy: No Contract → Grade C  

- Abhishek Sharma: No Contract → Grade C  

- Akash Deep: No Contract → Grade C  

- Varun Chakaravarthy: No Contract → Grade C  

- Harshit Rana: No Contract → Grade C  

 

Demotions:

 

- Shardul Thakur: Grade C → No Contract  

- Jitesh Sharma: Grade C → No Contract  

- KS Bharat: Grade C → No Contract  

- Avesh Khan: Grade C → No Contract