The BCCI has yet to drop the news on the new central contracts for male cricketers, and this has sparked a lot of chatter about who might move up in the A+ category since big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja have stepped back from T20s. Just the other day, the women’s central contract list came out, featuring 16 players split into three categories, but the men’s list, which had 30 names last time, is still on the horizon and should be released soon.

To give you a quick rundown of the pay: players in the A+ category pull in Rs 7 crore, while those in the A category get Rs 5 crore, and players in groups B and C earn Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively. The national selection committee drafts these contracts while consulting with the head coach and the secretary, Devajit Saikia, before they go to the Apex Council for the final green light.

There’s some talk that not everyone involved is on the same page about keeping all the senior players in the A+ category. Last year, Bumrah, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja made it into this top tier. The A+ category is typically for players who are solid picks for all three formats of the game. With Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja no longer playing T20 Internationals, they have shifted to being players primarily for two formats. Bumrah, who is patiently waiting to take on the Test captaincy, still holds his spot across all formats.

Interestingly, some powerful voices within the BCCI are leaning towards keeping the current A+ category lineup unchanged. In the A category, though, it’s worth noting that Ravichandran Ashwin won’t make an appearance since he’s already said goodbye to international cricket. There’s talk of Axar Patel getting bumped up from Group B to A, especially since he’s just been named vice-captain for the upcoming T20 series against England. Axar has consistently been part of both the ODIs and T20s and has already played 14 Tests for India.

Now, on the flip side, Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped last season, seems likely to bounce back into one of the contract categories. He’s had a solid run this season with 11 ODIs under his belt. For a player to get on the contract list, they need to hit certain milestones, like participating in three Tests, eight ODIs, or ten T20s in a given year.

One interesting name to keep an eye on is Yashasvi Jaiswal; he might just move up from his Grade B contract thanks to the promise he’s shown in various formats. In the upcoming list, we might see Bengal pacer Akash Deep, who’s played in seven Tests, and Sarfaraz Khan, who has played three this year, both join Group C. Similarly, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has participated in the full Border-Gavaskar series, should get an automatic spot in the central contract list too.

On the other hand, Shardul Thakur and Ruturaj Gaikwad were on the list last year, but right now, they don’t meet the criteria to be included again. That said, the selection committee, after discussions with the head coach and secretary, can always choose to make exceptions if they see fit. So, we’ll have to wait and see what the final lists look like!