Despite announcing their retirement from T20 internationals after India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja have been retained in the elite A+ category of the BCCI’s Annual Player Contracts for the 2024–25 season.
According to a BCCI official cited by PTI, the reason lies in the technical structure of the contract cycle. “The period of fresh central contract is from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, but the assessment year is October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Kohli, Rohit & Jadeja played the T20 World Cup final in June 2024 and hence, at that time, they were all-format regulars. Going by that technicality, they are supposed to be in A+ category,” said the official.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled its Annual Player Contracts for the 2024–25 season (from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025), and the spotlight is firmly on the massive salary contrast among some of India’s top cricketers.
From ₹7 crore A+ contracts for senior icons to ₹1 crore Grade C returns for those looking to regain their footing, the distribution is both a reflection of current form and the board’s stance on player discipline and domestic participation.
The A+ grade, which represents players integral across all three formats, includes:
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Rohit Sharma
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Virat Kohli
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Jasprit Bumrah
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Ravindra Jadeja
The rest of the contract list features top players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, and emerging names such as Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Dhruv Jurel, reflecting the bench strength and future planning of Team India.
Contract validity: October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025.
This retention clarifies that current form, contribution, and participation across the previous assessment period hold more weight in contract decisions than future availability in specific formats.