BCCI has officially done away with the Grade A+ category in a significant restructuring of its central contracts for the 2025-26 season. This move has directly impacted India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, along with several other high-profile cricketers.
The ₹2 Crore Gap for Jasprit Bumrah
Under the previous contract structure (2024-25), players in the Grade A+ category earned an annual retainer of ₹7 crore.
The Decision: With the A+ tier scrapped, Bumrah has been placed in Grade A, the new top tier.
The Loss: Since Grade A traditionally carries a retainer of ₹5 crore, the move represents a ₹2 crore drop in guaranteed annual income for the world’s leading fast bowler.
Possible Revision: Reports from NDTV Sports suggest that BCCI may revisit the valuation of these contracts. Insiders mention it feels “unfair” to slash the fees of a peak performer like Bumrah, and a pay revision or performance-based bonus structure may be introduced to bridge the gap.
Major Shake-up: Rohit, Kohli, and Gill
The new contract list for 30 men and 21 women reflects a shift toward current format involvement and future planning:
New Top Tier (Grade A): Only three players – Shubman Gill (the new Test and ODI captain), Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja – occupy the highest bracket.
Demotions (Grade B): Senior legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been moved to Grade B. This is largely due to their retirement from T20Is, Tests and their focus on ODI format.
Other Demotions: Stars like KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant have also shifted from Grade A to Grade B.
“Format-Based” Strategy
A BCCI official noted that the new structure aims to align contracts with workload and formats played.
Why Bumrah?
Despite being a multi-format match-winner, the lack of an A+ category automatically places him in ₹5 crore bracket. Players like Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana have been rewarded with Grade C contracts following their impressive performances leading up to 2026 T20 World Cup.
