2 weeks Ago
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally ended a long wait today (April 21) by announcing the list of centrally contracted players for the 2024-25 season. A total of 34 players have been divided into four different grades in the contract list, even as the top players - , , and - have been retained in Grade A+. Rishabh Pant is the only player who has been promoted from Grade B and A while five players have received the contract for the first time.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has dropped five players who were part of the central contract list in the 2023-24 season. Here are those five players: Shardul Thakur last played for India across any format in December 2023 and has been sidelined since then. He was injured last season and only played the second half of the Ranji Trophy.
He underwent surgery as well during this period and for the same reason, wasn't considered. For the same reason, he has not been included in the central contract list for the 2024-25 season. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement in December 2024 after the third Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane.
He is not playing for India across any formats now and hence has been removed from the contract list. Avesh Khan might feel unlucky for not being a part of the central contract list. He last played for India in November 2024 during the series against South Africa and has been doing well in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League ( ) as well.
He has been around India's T20I team for quite a while now and has played 8 ODIs and 25 T20Is so far after making his debut in 2022. Unfortunately, the fast bowler wasn't included in the contract list for the 2024-25 season. Jitesh Sharma's exclusion from the contract list is on the expected lines.
He hasn't donned the India jersey since January 2024 and also missed the cut for the T20 World Cup. He played nine T20Is for India and is eager to make a comeback now. KS Bharat's exclusion from the central contracts was also expected, given that he didn't perform in the limited opportunities for the Test team.
With Rishabh Pant returning and Dhruv Jurel emerging as the backup wicketkeeper, Bharat has been dropped entirely from the contract list..
