The BCCI on Monday released the list of its contracted players for the period of 2022-23. While Ravindra Jadeja was the biggest beneficiary in the new contract, KL Rahul found himself demoted in the BCCI’s scheme of things. There were some notable other players, who were completely ignored by the bosses of the Indian cricket board.
Jadeja found his name in the A+ grade along with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. His promotion is largely due to his recent consistent performances in all formats of the game.
Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Rshabh Pant and Axar Patel have been awarded A grade contract. The notable exclusion from the list is Rahul, whose selection in the team has surprised many in recent weeks. Rahul has dropped from A grade to B grade. The BCCI has reposed faith in Pant, who’s recovering from his injuries sustained in a recent car crash.
Mohammed Siraj has found his name in the list of B grade alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubhman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.
Players completely ignored by the BCCI are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Deepak Chahar, and Hanuma Vihari.
They have not even been considered for C grade contract, which includes 11 players namely Umesh Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat.
A+ contracted players will receive Rs. 7 crore, while players given A contract will earn Rs. 5 crore. Those under B and C contracts will earn an annual remuneration of Rs. 3 nd Rs. 1 crore respectively.
The current contract covers the period of October 2022 and September 2023.
These players will now be seen in action in the forthcoming edition of the IPL, flying the flags of their respective franchises.