The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the official list of annual player contracts for the Senior Men’s team today. The new list for the 2025-26 season reveals several major changes in player rankings. It also shows a clear shift toward the next generation of Indian cricket.
Top Tier Stars
Shubman Gill has joined the elite Grade A category. He now stands alongside veteran stars Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. This promotion highlights Gill’s growing importance across all formats. These three players represent the highest level of the central contract system.
The Middle Order Shift
Grade B features a mix of experienced legends and rising stars. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya appear in this group. They share the grade with younger talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant. This tier also includes KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Suryakumar Yadav. Shreyas Iyer maintains his spot here after a consistent run in the national side.
A Focus on New Talent
Grade C is the largest group on the list. It features seventeen players in total. New faces like Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, and Harshit Rana earned their first major contracts. Regular white-ball players like Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Ravi Bishnoi also hold spots in this category. The inclusion of Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad shows the board’s intent to reward domestic success.
Comparison of Player Grades
The table below illustrates the key shifts between the previous year and the newly announced 2025-26 retainership list.
| Grade | 2024-25 Category | 2025-26 Category | Key Movement |
| Grade A+ | Rohit, Kohli, Bumrah, Jadeja | Category Scrapped | Former A+ stars moved to A or B |
| Grade A | Siraj, Rahul, Gill, Shami, Pant | Gill, Bumrah, Jadeja | Gill promoted; others moved to B |
| Grade B | Surya, Kuldeep, Axar, Jaiswal | Rohit, Kohli, Surya, Pant, Jaiswal, etc. | Legends moved here from A+ |
| Grade C | Rinku, Tilak, Gaikwad, etc. | 17 Players (incl. Rana, Reddy) | Axar moved from B to C |
This new structure balances seasoned experience with fresh energy. Fans will watch closely to see how these players perform under their new roles.
