The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made major changes to the men’s central contracts for the 2025–26 season. The board moved Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the A+ category to the B category. It announced the decision on Monday as part of a new contract structure.

The BCCI has now divided the contracts into three levels — A, B and C. It has removed the A+ category completely.

Why Kohli and Rohit Moved Down

This decision did not surprise many. The BCCI usually keeps players in the top category only if they play all three formats. Both Kohli and Rohit have stepped away from T20 Internationals. So, their move to a lower category was expected.

At present, Kohli and Rohit play only One Day Internationals after retiring from T20Is and Tests. Still, they continue to perform well in the 50-over format. They have scored many runs in recent matches. Rohit struggled in the last series against New Zealand. However, he played very well in earlier series against Australia and South Africa.

Three Players in Top Category

Only three players feature in the top A category this time. They are Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. They earned this place through consistent performances across formats.

Strong Names in B Category

Kohli and Rohit now lead a strong B category group. T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is also in this list. Other key players include Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. A total of 11 players are part of this category.

C Category Includes Young Talent

The C category includes young and developing players along with some regular team members. The list features Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Changes in Payment Structure

Earlier, the BCCI followed four contract levels — A+, A, B and C. These contracts worked separately from match fees. Under the old system, Grade A+ players received INR 7 crore per year. Grade A players earned INR 5 crore. Grade B players got INR 3 crore, while Grade C players received INR 1 crore annually.

Now, the board has removed the A+ category. It has not yet announced the new payment structure under the revised system.

Full Central Contracts List for 2025–26

A category: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

B category: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer

C category: Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturaj Gaikwad