Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer snubbed as India Cricket Board announce new player central contracts

On Wednesday, the Indian Cricket Board announced the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season, covering the period from October 1st, 2023, to September 30th, 2024. This yearly central contract was eagerly awaited due to the recent turmoil going on in Indian cricket regarding playing domestic cricket for contracted players.

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In a surprising turn of events, after the release of the central contract, everyone was surprised to note that the names of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not in this list released for 2023-24. Moreover, it is also to be recalled that both of these players did not participate in domestic cricket. Due to this, the board was angry and hence its effect is clearly visible in the contract list. In addition to it, the left-hand batter Rinku Singh from Uttar Pradesh has got a place in Grade C.

Apart from captain Rohit Sharma, there are Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja in A+ grade. Whereas in player Retainership for the A category, there are six players. The group includes players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya. Furthermore, in Grade B for Team India, there are five athletes, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meanwhile, another surprising miss is the star India leg spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal has recently been excluded from every format for India.

“Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations,” the Board wrote in their official statement after announcing the annual contract.

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BCCI Central Contract:

A+:
Rohit, Kohli, Bumrah and Jadeja.

A:
Ashwin, Shami, Siraj, KL, Gill and Hardik.

B:
Surya, Pant, Kuldeep, Axar and Jaiswal.

C:
Rinku, Tilak, Ruturaj, Shardul, Dube, Bishnoi, Jitesh, Sundar, Mukesh, Samson, Arshdeep, KS, Krishna, Avesh and Patidar. pic.twitter.com/mrvVlRJG9E

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 28, 2024

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Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel to get central contract

Furthermore, the board also said that players who meet the eligibility criteria of playing a minimum of 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is within the specified period will be automatically placed in Grade C on a pro-rata basis. For example, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, who have played 2 Test matches thus far, will be included in Grade C if they take part in the Dharamsala Test Match, which is the 5th Test of the ongoing series against England.

The Selection Committee has further proposed Fast Bowling contracts for the following players: Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa. Finally, the board also advised all players to prioritize participation in domestic cricket during periods when they are not part of the national team.