The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently announced the annual central contracts for the senior men’s Indian team, which brought good news for many cricketers financially and in terms of job security. While Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel got promotions, some players such as KL Rahul got demoted. In addition, new players like Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, and Deepak Hooda received their maiden annual BCCI contracts.

Jadeja, who was previously in Grade A with a salary of INR 5 crore, was upgraded to Grade A+ with a salary of INR 7 crore. This grade had only been occupied by Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah for the last couple of years. Meanwhile, players in Grade C, such as Samson, Hooda, Arshdeep, Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav (returning after a one-year gap), and KS Bharat, will all earn INR 1 crore.

Interestingly, even players in Grade C will earn more than what Pakistan players in the top bracket earn. The players in the top bracket for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earn 1.25 million PKR per month, which translates to INR 43.44 Lakh per year. This is 12 times less than what Kohli, Rohit, and Bumrah earn and even less than half of what Samson will earn in Grade C. Only Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, and Imam-ul-Haq are in the top bracket of red and white-ball contracts for PCB.

However, there were also some demotions in the contracts. Rahul, who was recently stripped of vice-captaincy in ODIs and Tests, has been demoted from Grade A to Grade B with a salary of INR 3 crore. Dhawan, who has lost his place in all three formats, stayed in Grade C. Shardul Thakur was also demoted from Grade B to Grade C.

Overall, the BCCI’s announcement of the annual central contracts for the senior men’s Indian team brought good news for many cricketers, especially financially. The upgrades, promotions, and maiden contracts show the potential for newer talents in the Indian cricket team.