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Cricket PlayersBCCI central contracts: Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill set for big pay upgrade; Rahane, Ishant on the way out – Report
Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill are all set to rewarded handsomely for their stellar run of form as the BCCI is likely to promote the two batters in their list of centrally-contracted cricketers.
India batters Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill are all set to rewarded handsomely for their stellar run of form as the BCCI is likely to promote the two batters in their list of centrally-contracted cricketers. Suryakumar and Gill, both of whom currently belong in category C are likely to jump to B, while Hardik Pandya, who is tipped to become India's next T20I captain will most probably jump to the highest category – that is A – which comprises the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, when the new contracts are announced later this month on December 21.
"Surya was in Group C but his performance in the last one year warrants a promotion to Group B at least, if not A. He is currently world No. 1 in T20I ICC rankings and is a serious contender in ODI team also," news agency PTI quoted a source as saying.
But while promotions beckon Suryakumar and Gill, a couple of senior cricketers who have served India well in the past but have fallen out of favour, are likely to lose their contracts. Ajinkya Rahane and Ishan Sharma, who were regular members of the Indian Test set-up during the MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli captaincy era, are nearing the end of their respective careers and the board is perhaps looking at either player as someone who could return to the national fold. Rahane and Ishant had been demoted from category B to C, but are in danger of being dropped out of the central contracts list altogether. Ishant last played a Test for India in November 2021 and Rahane earlier this year in January against South Africa.
Category A is the highest as per paygrade, with players in this bracket getting paid ₹7 crore a year. In B, which already features KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, players are paid ₹5 crore. Cricketers in category C earn ₹3 crore a year. Ishan Kishan, who struck a belligerent double century in the 3rd ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram on Sunday, is expected to break into the C category.
Suryakumar has been the player of the year for India, amassing over 1500 runs in 41 matches this year, 1164 of which he has scored in T20Is alone, including two scintillating centuries. Suryakumar's T20I exploits rewarded him a place at the pinnacle of ICC rankings for batsmen. Gill on the other hand, is finally beginning to find his feet in Indian cricket. After his game-changing 91 in the Gabba Test against Australia, injuries had derailed Gill's India career, but the way the youngster has come back this year has been nothing short of inspiring.
In 22 matches this year, Gill has scored 743 runs with five half-centuries and a maiden hundred for India. He was a heavy scored when India won the series in West Indies and Zimbabwe and looked in great nick with scores of 50 and 45 not out in the recently-concluded series against New Zealand.
