Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana are set to earn their maiden BCCI central contracts. Sharma, who opened for India in T20 cricket in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, is expected to earn a Grade C contract that assures an annual retainership of INR 1 crore. The Punjab cricketer has played 17 T20 matches in his career, scoring 535 runs at a strike rate of 193.84.
As per the BCCI retention policy, which was followed in the last year, “athletes who meet the criteria of playing a minimum of three Tests or eight ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period will automatically be included in Grade C on a pro-rata basis.” Abhishek fits the bill and is set to earn the contract, especially with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma now retired from the shortest format of the game.
As reported by Cricbuzz, Nitish Reddy, who made his debut in 2024 after a stunning IPL, is set to earn a central contract as well. He featured in all five matches for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and will play a key part in the team for the upcoming tour to England. Since he is playing two formats regularly and will be in contention for ODIs as well, Nitish can earn a Grade B contract.
Harshit, meanwhile, has turned out to be an all-format player. The 23-year-old made his debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and since then, featured in the T20 and ODI series against England and also in the Champions Trophy. He is a key part of the team’s success in the mega tournament and is likely to be rewarded with a central contract soon.
Apart from that, Varun Chakaravarthy is one of the cricketers who is expected to earn a contract. Shreyas Iyer is set to make his return as well, after missing out in 2024 due to his absence in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu.