Kohli & Rohit Demoted in BCCI Central Contracts

The BCCI has announced its 2025-26 central contracts, and the biggest talking point is the demotion of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the top tier to Grade B.

Why the Demotion?

Both players retired from T20Is after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and subsequently retired from Test cricket. They now play only ODIs, making them single-format players.

The BCCI has also scrapped the A+ Grade entirely (previously worth Rs 7 crore), signaling a shift toward rewarding multi-format availability.

New Contract Grades

• Grade A: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
• Grade B: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, and others

Notable Exclusion

Mohammad Shami, who was part of India's Champions Trophy-winning squad, was left out of the contracts entirely.

The Bigger Picture

This is the clearest sign yet that the BCCI is planning for the post-Kohli-Rohit era, with Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah now the highest-contracted Indian cricketers.