BCCI Likely to Hand Central Contracts to Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana

BCCI is likely to announce the central contract list soon and three youngsters of Indian Cricket can make to the list despite failing to meet the criteria for retainership. Most players will likely be in their current list but a few exceptions can be made, allowing young cricketers to qualify.

As per reports of Cricbuzz, BCCI will soon announce the central contract list for 2025-26, with a decision already being taken. Among those emerging players, Abhishek Sharma is the most prominent player to be included in the list. 

Making waves with their IPL performances, rising stars like Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, and Harshit Rana are likely to earn their maiden call-ups. Meanwhile, Varun Chakaravarthy, who impressed with both his T20I form and a pivotal role in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy run, is also in strong contention for selection.

As per the BCCI standard policy, “athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of three Tests or eight ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis.” Abhishek has featured in 17 T20Is in all and has played in 12 T20Is in the specified period, which is generally from September to October. He is likely to be included in Grade C, which assures annual retainership of INR 1 crore.

The contracts are split into four grades, where the A-Plus category receives Rs 7 crore annually, while the A category gets Rs 5 crore. Those in Grade B and C categories earn Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively.

As previously reported, Varun Chakaravarthy (four ODIs and 18 T20Is) too should come into the list, as well as Shreyas Iyer, who was one of the star performers in the just-concluded Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja will continue to be A+ category and it is unlikely that there will be too many changes to the gradings – give or take two-three names.

The Contracts are expected to be announced in a couple of days, along with the changes to the support staff of the Indian teams. The decisions are understood to have been taken recently, as mentioned on Cricbuzz