3 Big Players Have Been Demoted in BCCI Central Contracts

Hardik Pandya has been demoted in the BCCI central contracts.

Jatin Khandelwal 1:13 am, Thu, 3 March 2022

2,294 1 minute read

The four senior cricketers who have been left out of the Sri Lanka series – Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha – have all been demoted in the BCCI central contracts, as reported by Times of India. So has been star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Ishant, Rahane, and Pujara have been demoted to Grade B from Grade A, Saha has been shifted down to Grade C from B. Hardik Pandya, who hasn’t played a single international since the T20 World Cup, has been shunned down from Grade A to C, in BCCI central contracts for 2022.

Hardik Pandya BCCI's central contracts

Another senior cricketer, pacer Umesh Yadav, who hasn’t been the first-choice bowler in Tests now, also gets a Grade C contract. So does, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has seen his stocks dropped, matches misses due to fitness issues.

Grade A+ is worth Rs 7 crore while A, B and C are Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively.

Senior opener Shikhar Dhawan, who only features in ODIs now, is slotted in Grade B, in BCCI central contracts.

Promotions have been handed out to impressive performers overs the previous cycle. Pacer Mohammed Siraj, who has emerged as a frontline fast bowler, gets promoted to Grade B from C. So does all-rounder Axar Patel, who had a staggering debut Test series against England last year and is part of India’s T20 setup.

Three players – the now all-former skipper Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, and former captain Virat Kohli – are in the Grade A category in BCCI’s central contracts, while Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Shami and R Ashwin have retained their previous contracts in the Grade A compartment.

BCCI sources have told TOI that the team management and selectors “are keen on investing heavily in the next generation of players”.

Meanwhile, Mohali is set to host Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match, starting Friday against Sri Lanka. The BCCI has now allowed to fill the PCA Stadium to 50% capacity. It was initially scheduled to be played behind closed doors due to Covid-19 however, now fans have been allowed to attend Kohli’s landmark Test.