Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been promoted to Group A Plus in BCCI’s annual contract after his outstanding performance in recent matches. He joins captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah in the elite group. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya and Akshar Patel have been promoted to Group A, with Deepak Chahar also making it to the list.
However, several players including Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, and Chetan Sakariya have been pulled out of the central contract. Rishabh Pant has been included in Group A, while Test-only player Cheteshwar Pujara remains in Group B.
BCCI has included a total of 26 players in the annual contract from October 2022 to September 2023. The players in Group A Plus receive seven crores annually, while Group A players get five crores. Group B players get three crores, and Group C players get one crore.
The BCCI’s annual contract system serves as a measure of recognizing and rewarding the players’ performances and contributions to the Indian cricket team.