Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma set to take pay cuts, BCCI to demote star players in restructured central contracts: Report

The BCCI plans to overhaul its central contract system, likely discontinuing Grade A+. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma may shift to Grade B.

The BCCI is set to revamp its annual central contract system, with the top-tier Grade A+ category likely to be discontinued in a move that could reshape how India’s biggest names are rewarded. As reported by ANI, if the new model is cleared by the board, senior stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to be slotted into Grade B, according to BCCI sources.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the third ODI. (PTI)

The proposed restructuring had been recommended by the selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkaar, and a final call is expected after discussions at the next apex council meeting, where the board is also expected to outline the exact financial framework under the revised plan.

At present, the BCCI’s annual retainers are divided into four grades - A+, A, B and C - and operate separately from match fees. Under the current structure, Grade A+ is valued at INR 7 crores per year, Grade A at INR 5 crores, Grade B at INR 3 crores, and Grade C at INR 1 crore.

The committee has proposed scrapping the A+ bracket entirely and retaining only three categories: A, B, and C. While clarity on the monetary changes is still awaited, the key shift would be the removal of the exclusive A+ tier that has served as the board’s premium bracket.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who featured in the Grade A+ in the 2024-25 list announced in April 2025, are now exclusive ODI players, and are therefore likely to be placed in Category B if the model is approved. Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah were the other two players in A+ for 2024-25.

The April 2025 contracts also had Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, and Rishabh Pant in Grade A. Grade B included T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer.

Grade C featured a longer list of names: Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prashid Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Harshit Rana.

Any final reshuffle will depend on whether the BCCI approves the committee’s recommendation and how it chooses to recalibrate the retainers across the remaining three grades. The central contract list is reviewed annually and the next cycle is due in the coming months, making the proposed changes one of the most significant structural tweaks since the graded system was expanded to include A+.