From Ravi Ashwin To Shardul Thakur: Five Players Who Missed Out on BCCI Central Contracts for 2024-25 Season

BCCI Central Contracts: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, April 21, unveiled its centrally contracted player list for the 2024-25 season.

While the spotlight was on new additions and notable promotions-including Rishabh Pant's rise to Grade A and Shreyas Iyer's return to Grade B after a stellar ICC Champions Trophy 2025-several prominent names were absent from the latest list.

A total of five players who were part of the 2023-24 retainership have been dropped, along with four others who previously held fast bowling contracts. Here's a look at the players who didn't make the cut this time:

1. Shardul Thakur

The seam-bowling all-rounder has been out of India's plans across formats since December 2023. A mix of injuries and inconsistent form kept Thakur sidelined for the first half of the Ranji Trophy season, and he later underwent surgery. Although he featured in the latter stages of domestic cricket, the BCCI chose not to renew his contract for the 2024-25 cycle.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin

A giant in Indian cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin's omission comes following his retirement from international cricket in December 2024. The veteran off-spinner bid adieu to the game after the third Test against Australia at the Gabba during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With Ashwin no longer part of India's plans across formats, his exclusion from the contract list was inevitable.

3. Avesh Khan

Among the more surprising exclusions was that of fast bowler Avesh Khan. Having featured in India's white-ball squads until as recently as November 2024, Avesh was seen as a promising T20 option. Despite consistent performances and a decent run in the ongoing IPL season, the pacer didn't find a spot in this year's retainership.

4. Jitesh Sharma

Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma hasn't played for India since January 2024 and was left out of the T20 World Cup squad. With limited international exposure-just nine T20Is-his omission doesn't come as a major surprise. However, he remains determined to make a comeback to the national setup.

5. KS Bharat

Once considered a strong contender for India's Test wicketkeeping role, KS Bharat has been overlooked following a lack of impactful performances in red-ball cricket. With Rishabh Pant's successful return and Dhruv Jurel stepping up as the backup keeper, Bharat finds himself completely out of the BCCI's contract structure.

Also Missing: Fast Bowling Contract Holders

The BCCI has also decided to discontinue fast bowling contracts for Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa-a sign that the board is narrowing its focus to a more select group of pacers for the national setup.