BCCI to Change Central Contracts, A-Plus Category Put on Hold for 2025-26

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is planning to change its men’s central contracts for the 2025-26 season. One big change could be the removal of the A-plus category. This is mainly because senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are no longer playing all three formats. Both have retired from Tests and T20Is and are now only available for ODIs.

BCCI to Update Central Contract Structure, Likely Dropping A-Plus Category for 2025-26

At present, players in the A-plus group get ₹7 crore every year. Category A players get ₹5 crore, Category B get ₹3 crore, and Category C get ₹1 crore. But from next season, BCCI is likely to keep only A, B and C categories and drop the A-plus level for now.

Last season, only four players were in the A-plus group, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Out of them, Bumrah is the only one who still plays Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Kohli and Rohit now play only ODIs, while Jadeja plays Tests and ODIs after retiring from T20Is.

Interesting move by the BCCI to drop the A+ contract category.

This reflects a clear shift away from rewarding multi-format players as Kohli and Sharma reduce their commitments.

This likely forces a re-evaluation of how players are incentivized for Test cricket versus… pic.twitter.com/IQPUvKA2vh

— Gully Point (@gullypoint_) January 24, 2026

Since the A-plus category is meant only for players who play in all three formats, very few players now qualify for it. That is why BCCI feels it makes sense to pause this category. BCCI sources have said this move is not meant to disrespect any player. It is just a practical decision based on who is actually available to play across formats.

Even though the A-plus group may be removed, Jasprit Bumrah will not lose money. He remains a key player for India and continues to lead the bowling attack in all formats. The BCCI is expected to announce the new list of central contracts for the 2025-26 season in the coming weeks, with the updated structure based on player workload and format availability.

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