7 Indian cricketers who got removed from BCCI central contracts for 2023-24

A total of 30 Indian cricketers have been handed central contracts for 2023-24 season.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday, 28th February, 2024, released the annual player contracts for Indian Cricket Team (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, along with Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah remain in Grade A+. The central contracts runs from October 1st, 2023 to September 30th, 2024.

The selection committee has also offered Fast Bowling contracts for Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa. The BCCI has advised all athletes to prioritize domestic cricket when not representing the national team.

There were some names as well, who were removed from the BCCI central contracts list for the 2023-24 season and there were some surprising names.

Here are the 7 Indian cricketers who got removed from BCCI central contracts for 2023-24:

1. Ishan Kishan:

Ishan Kishan was a contentious name and the main character because of whom the BCCI had to formally announce the diktat that all centrally contracted players need to play domestic red-ball cricket. Kishan had been part of the Indian team since December 2022 and spent the entire 2023 with the Men in Blue and even made his test debut in West Indies.

However, he returned home during the South Africa tour and since then has gone incognito despite Indian team management and BCCI urging him to play Ranji Trophy for Jharkhand. Kishan further incensed the BCCI by ignoring the directions by practicing for the IPL 2024 along with his MI captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda and then made his return in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Navi Mumbai.

Ishan Kishan had Grade C contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 1 crore + match fees for the entire season.

2. Shreyas Iyer:

The second character to face the wrath of the BCCI for not following their directions for playing the Ranji Trophy was Shreyas Iyer. Iyer had made his India return in the Asia Cup 2023 after spending six months out due to a back injury. He was a main player for India in the Asia Cup and the World Cup, but his batting was exposed in South Africa tests.

He played in the first two test against England in 2024 and failed to perform as well and then missed the rest of the series after complaining of back issues and spasms. Iyer was also instructed by the BCCI to play in the Ranji Trophy, but he cited the excuse of his back injury. However, the NCA medical head Dr. Nitin Patel’s email to the board stated that Iyer was fully fit and ready to resume.

Though he has made himself available for Mumbai’s semi-final clash in the Ranji Trophy, the BCCI has seemingly ignored him for not following their directions. Shreyas Iyer had Grade B contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 3 crores + match fees for the entire season.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara:

Cheteshwar Pujara, once the pillar of the Indian batting order at No. 3 in tests, last played a test match in the ICC WTC final against Australia in 2023 and since then, the team management has moved on from him. Despite Shubman Gill’s initial failures at No. 3 spot, the team management stuck with the youngster and the Punjab lad finally flourished in the ongoing England series with scores of 91, 104, and a match-winning fifty in the Ranchi test.

However, with BCCI removing Cheteshwar Pujara from the central contracts, the door for his return has seemingly closed finally. Pujara has played 103 tests and 5 ODIs for India from 2010-2023. He made 7195 runs with 19 test hundreds to his name an average of 43.60 and the best score of 206*. Pujara had Grade B contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 3 crores + match fees for the entire season.

4. Umesh Yadav:

Umesh Yadav, one of the best fast bowlers India produced and led the India pace attack for a long time, has also been removed from the list of annually contracted players. With the return of Jasprit Bumrah and the rise of the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, and others, Umesh was sidelined by the Indian team management.

The 36-year-old Umesh, played 57 tests, taking 170 wickets with a best of 6/88, and in 75 ODIs, took 106 wickets with a best of 4/31. He made his India debut in 2010 and played his last game in the ICC WTC final against Australia in 2023 at the Oval. Yadav was the best pacer in the Indian conditions who served the team for a long time and can be considered one of the underrated gems.

Umesh Yadav had Grade C contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 1 crore + match fees for the entire season.

5. Shikhar Dhawan:

Shikhar Dhawan, one of the best openers India ever had, also faced the axe in the central contract list by the BCCI. The 38-year-old Dhawan last played for India in 2022 in Bangladesh and had previously even captained the Indian team on the West Indies tour. However, after the Bangladesh tour, India opted to have three opening options in captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Ishan Kishan going forward as they prepped for the Asia Cup and the World Cup.

Shikhar Dhawan tried hard for the comeback but was not even considered for the Asian Games 2023 as well. Many expected the BCCI to give a farewell of sorts to the veteran, but instead, he has been prepping to lead the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024. He played 34 tests, 167 ODIs, and 68 T20Is for India from 2010-2022.

Shikhar Dhawan had Grade C contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 1 crore + match fees for the entire season.

6. Yuzvendra Chahal:

Yuzvendra Chahal last played an ODI for India in January 2023 and a T20I in August 2023. However, the leg-spinner fell out of favor after the return of Kuldeep Yadav. Indian team management opted to play only one wrist spinner and Kuldeep Yadav won the competition in between them. Chahal continued to excel in domestic cricket and even county cricket in England.

But he was ignored for two T20 World Cups and the ODI World Cup which was played in India. He was also not considered for the Asia Cup 2023 and was not chosen for any matches since the West Indies tour in August last year. It seems that the leg-spinner’s luck is not favoring him, with Kuldeep Yadav and other spin options doing better than him. Chahal had Grade C contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 1 crore + match fees for the entire season.

7. Deepak Hooda:

Deepak Hooda had an excellent 2022 when he hit his maiden T20I hundred for India in Ireland. He seemingly had cemented his spot in the Indian team as one of the batting options who could bowl as well. However, his last outing for the Men in Blue came in February 2023 against New Zealand. In the year 2023, he played 6 T20Is, but scored just 66 runs with a best of 41*.

Then he had a poor outing in the IPL 2023 and in other domestic tournaments as well. With the rise of Rinku Singh as a finishing option and Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener in T20Is, coupled with his poor form, Deepak Hooda fell down the ladder when it came to options in India white-ball teams. Hooda too had Grade C contract in season 2022-23, in which he earned 1 crore + match fees for the entire season.

(All stats and numbers in the story updated till 28th February, 2024)

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