Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been moved down from the A+ category to the B category in the BCCI central contracts list for 2025-26. As per a report in Dainik Jagran, the BCCI has also removed the A+ category completely. Now the men’s contracts are only divided into three groups: A, B, and C.
This change is not seen as shocking because BCCI usually keeps only those players in the top category who play all three formats. Since Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is and Tests, they now play only ODIs, which is why they were not kept in the top bracket.
The Category A now has only three players: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Virat and Rohit are placed in Category B, along with players like Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Rishabh Pant. The B category has 11 players. The Category C includes names like Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel.
Earlier, the contract system had four grades (A+, A, B, C). The A+ grade was worth ₹7 crore per year, A was ₹5 crore, B was ₹3 crore, and C was ₹1 crore. Right now, the new payment amounts are not confirmed, since the A+ category has been removed.
BCCI Removes A+ Category, Focuses on Workload and Current Performance in 2025–26 Contracts
The BCCI has made a big change in its 2025–26 central contracts list by completely removing the elite A+ category. This shows the board is now focusing more on current workload, multi-format availability, and present-day contribution, instead of giving top status only based on legacy.
As reported by Abhishek Tripathi (Dainik Jagran), the earlier four-category system has been replaced with a three-group system: Group A, Group B, and Group C. The biggest highlight is that the A+ bracket, which earlier carried a ₹7 crore annual retainer and was meant for all-format stars, has been scrapped.
Because of this change, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been placed in Group B. This is mainly because both have retired from Tests and T20Is, and are now focusing mostly on ODIs. Even though their status in Indian cricket is still huge, the new contract system clearly values format availability and workload more than reputation.
BCCI’s 2025–26 Contracts: Group A for Multi-Format Stars, Group B for Senior Pros, Group C for Emerging Talent
Under the BCCI’s new 2025–26 central contracts, the structure has three groups.
Group A has only three players: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Gill is leading India in Tests and ODIs, Bumrah is the top performer across all formats, and Jadeja plays in both Tests and ODIs.
Group B has experienced players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj. They are important for India, but don’t play all formats like Group A players.
Group C is for young talent and white-ball regulars, including Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
How much is Virat Kohli and Rohit currently earning?
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma currently earn ₹7 crore per year under the old A+ category. Since they now play only ODIs, their salary may be reduced to ₹5 crore if they are moved to Group A under the BCCI’s new 2025–26 contract structure.
FAQs
Q. Which BCCI contract category was removed in 2025–26?
A. The A+ category was removed in 2025–26.
Q. Which players were moved to Category B after the change?
A. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were moved to Category B.
Q. How many contract groups are there now in the BCCI 2025–26 contracts?
A. There are three groups in the BCCI 2025–26 contracts: A, B, and C.
Q. Why were Virat and Rohit moved to Category B?
A. Because they retired from Tests and T20Is and now play mostly ODIs.
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