BCCI Central Contracts Update: Kishan, Iyer Dropped for Ignoring Ranji Trophy Directive; Rohit, Virat Retained in Top Bracket

NEW DELHI: In the latest update to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) centrally-contracted players list, skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli have retained their positions in the top bracket, while Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been excluded for failing to adhere to the directive to participate in the Ranji Trophy, revealed BCCI on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja have been placed in the A plus category, maintaining their status as top-tier contracted players.

A statement from the BCCI clarified, “Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.”

Ishan Kishan, aged 25, abstained from participating in Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy campaign, despite not being engaged in national duties since departing from the South Africa tour in December due to personal reasons. Instead, Kishan focused on preparing for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer, who was omitted from the Indian team following the second Test against England, also disregarded the Ranji Trophy directive by not making himself available for Mumbai’s quarterfinal clash against Baroda. However, he has been selected for Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy semifinal fixture commencing on March 2.

The exclusion of Kishan and Iyer underscores the BCCI’s stance on prioritizing domestic cricket participation, particularly the Ranji Trophy, as a criterion for annual central contracts.