Why did BCCI hand Rohit, Virat, and Jadeja 7-crore contracts despite T20 retirement?

In the Grade A+ category of the yearly players’ central contract list, Indian cricket legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were retained by the BCCI on Monday, April 21. Both mainstays have performed admirably with their respective teams early in the current IPL 2025. The Grade A+ list of players also includes ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit, Virat, and the renowned all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

The inclusion of Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja in the A+ category has drawn criticism, though, particularly since their June 2024 retirement from T20 international play. Though the public has expressed concern over the trio’s admission, the A+ category is typically reserved for players who are automatically selected across all three game types.

“October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025 is the time frame for the new central contract. However, October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024, is the assessment year. Jadeja, Rohit, and Kohli were all-format regulars at the period because they participated in the June 2024 T20 World Cup final.

According to that technicality, they should be in the A+ category, according to a BCCI official who was cited by NDTV Sports.

As the three seasoned players met the requirements of participating in all three forms throughout the evaluation period, they were kept in the highest division.

The three will now be seen participating in the five Test matches in England once the Indian Premier League 2025 concludes. Since his leadership in red-ball cricket has been questioned due to recent series losses to Australia and New Zealand, respectively, Rohit is expected to take the captain’s hat, although the decision is not yet definitive.

Four kinds of player contracts are available from the BCCI: A+ (INR 7 crore), A (INR 5 crore), B (INR 3 crore), and C (INR 1 crore). While wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has returned to category C, Shreyas Iyer has been placed in the B category. Due to their nonparticipation in domestic cricket, both players were removed from the central contract list the previous season.

“Similarly, Ishan (2 World Cup matches) and Shreyas played 15 ODIs and a handful of Tests in the 2023-24 season and hence got their respective categories,” according to the official.

This season, Rishabh Pant, who was demoted to Grade B in his contract previous year because he missed the game after being in an automobile accident, has been reinstated back to Grade A. Conversely, Ravichandran Ashwin had a smooth transition after retiring from international competition.