Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli set for demotion in new BCCI Central Contract: Report

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BCCI is gearing up for the reveal of India's men's team central contracts for the 2025-26 season just after the New Year, signalling a major reshuffle in player grades.

Reports indicate rising star Shubman Gill is set for a top-tier promotion, while veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli face a step down following their Test retirements.

The announcement, expected within days according to Sports Tak, comes earlier than usual despite the ongoing domestic campaign. Last retainers were handed out on April 21, but BCCI opted for a swift update less than eight months later.

Gill's ascent to the elite Grade A+ from his current A spot reflects his new responsibilities as Test and ODI skipper. In contrast, Rohit and Kohli, now ODI specialists, may drop from A+ due to limited format participation, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah also slated for downgrades.

Since assuming captaincy duties, Gill has solidified his status as India's next big leader across formats, justifying the upgrade in retainership perks like higher annual payments and priority access. This move underscores BCCI's focus on grooming young talent amid transitions, even as the board accelerates the process ahead of key international commitments.​

Current BCCI Central Contracts (2024-25)

Grade A+: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

Grade A: Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya

Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana