Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli Fate Not Determined, BCCI Central Contracts Decision Delayed: Report

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In a surprising turn of events, the much-anticipated Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) meeting to finalize the Indian men's team central contracts did not take place on Saturday, contrary to widespread media reports.

The meeting, believed to be scheduled between chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in Guwahati, never materialized. In fact, the report says there was never any official plan for such a meeting to be held that day.

According to Cricbuzz, a top BCCI source confirmed, "All decisions have been deferred."

However, sources suggest that the board remains intent on concluding decisions around both central contracts and coaching roles sooner rather than later.

This development comes just days after the BCCI released the annual player retainership list for 2024-25.

Why was the Guwahati Meeting delayed?

Head coach Gautam Gambhir came back from his vacation but was in Delhi, rather than Guwahati. Also, the chief selector Ajit Agarkar is currently in Mumbai.

Guwahati hosted a fixture between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 and will stage its second and final IPL game of the season on Sunday, with Chennai Super Kings set to feature.

The eventual meeting, whenever it takes place, is also expected to include a performance review of the Indian coaching staff, with special attention on the roles of two key members.

Shreyas Iyer set to be Included

On the player front, some shifts appear inevitable. Shreyas Iyer, omitted from the contract list last year due to his failure to participate in domestic cricket, is likely to make a comeback to the elite list. Conversely, veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will depart from the contract scene after his retirement.

One new name set to feature is Varun Chakaravarthy, who played a vital role in India's Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai. The board mandates that players who have participated in at least 3 Tests, 8 ODIs, or 10 T20Is in the evaluation period are automatically included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis. Chakaravarthy has played four ODIs and 12 T20Is over the past 12 months. Aside from a few such changes, the central contract structure is expected to remain largely unchanged. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are likely to remain in A+ category despite retiring from T20 cricket.