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Ishan Kishan regained his BCCI central contract for 2024-25 in Grade C despite not playing international cricket in 2024, based on his 2023-24 season performances.
Ishan Kishan (Image: Sportzpics)
Talented left-handed batter Ishan Kishan earned back his Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contract for 2024-25 in the Grade C category. He was excluded from the previous year’s list after failing to feature in domestic matches for Jharkhand on international break, despite the BCCI’s specific instructions.
However, the left-hander hasn’t played any international cricket since 2023. His last appearance for India was a T20I against Australia in Guwahati on November 28, 2023. A question that arises here is, when the BCCI has a criterion of at least a few international appearances to grant central contracts — at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is in a year — how has Kishan got one despite not playing any in the entirety of 2024?
A top BCCI official explained the reasoning in an interview with PTI.
“The period of fresh central contract is from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “But the assessment year is October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Kohli, Rohit and Jadeja played the T20 World Cup final in June, 2024 and hence at that time, they were all-format regulars. Going by that technicality, they are supposed to be in A+ category.”
“Similarly, Ishan (2 World Cup matches) and Shreyas played 15 ODIs and a handful Tests in the 2023-24 season and hence got their respective categories,” he added.
The same reasoning explains why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the A-plus category despite not being all-format players anymore, though it’s clear that the BCCI has been flexible with its criteria. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who has been one of the best performers for the Men in Blue in the last two years since losing his contract alongside Kishan, also got back into Category B.
The BCCI offers contracts in four categories: A+, A, B and C which, according to the report, carry annual retainership valuations of Rs 7 crore, Rs 5 crore, Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively. The report said that national selectors had discussion with head coach Gambhir and secretary Devajit Saikia before preparing the contract list at least two weeks back but held back the announcement.
Kishan has been playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025. He hit a century in his first match against Rajasthan Royals but is yet to hit a half-century since.
