Pant, Iyer promoted in New BCCI central contracts as big names miss out

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the annual player contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2024–25 season — and the list signals a clear shift in priorities. While Rishabh Pant has climbed up to Grade A and Shreyas Iyer makes a comeback in Grade B, several familiar names have been left out, raising eyebrows across the cricketing world.

Iyer, who was India’s second-highest run-scorer in the recent Champions Trophy with 243 runs at an impressive average of 48.60, including two fifties, returns to Grade B in the new list.

The BCCI has also awarded fresh contracts to Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana, highlighting a focus on nurturing emerging talent for the future.

Notable Omissions

Five players from the 2023–24 retainership list and four others with fast bowling contracts have been dropped.

Shardul Thakur, despite a strong IPL 2025 season with 12 wickets in 8 matches, has missed out. Thakur, who struggled with injuries and went unsold at the IPL auction before joining Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement, wasn’t offered a new contract.

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket in December 2024, has also been excluded. His omission comes as no surprise, following his decision to step away after a distinguished career. In IPL 2025, Ashwin has played seven matches for Chennai Super Kings, taking five wickets while conceding nearly 10 runs an over.

Avesh Khan, another notable exclusion, had been part of India’s white-ball squads till late 2024. Though he has taken 8 wickets in 7 IPL matches this season, his high economy rate of around 10 runs an over may have counted against him.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma and K.S. Bharat have also been dropped. Jitesh, who last played for India in January 2024 and was left out of the T20 World Cup squad, has scored 101 runs in 6 IPL innings this season at a strike rate of 140.27. Meanwhile, Bharat, once seen as a contender for the Test keeper’s role, remained unsold at the IPL auction, and his omission seemed inevitable with Rishabh Pant’s return and Dhruv Jurel’s rise.

The BCCI has also scrapped fast bowling contracts for Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa as part of a strategy to streamline the national pace bowling pool.

A New Direction for Team India

With this contract reshuffle, the BCCI has made it clear: current form, fitness, and future potential now outweigh past performances. The 2024–25 list reflects a changing guard in Indian cricket — backing young guns and rewarding players in form, while respectfully moving on from those no longer in the national setup.