The governing body for cricket in India, the BCCI have announced the recipients of the annual player contracts for the 2023/24 season. Spin-bowling all-rounder and former Chennai Super Kings skipper Ravindra Jadeja has become the latest member to be allotted the highest bracket in the contract system, joining captain Rohit Sharma, veteran batsman Virat Kohli, and ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah in the top slot. 

These players will earn a whopping Rs.7 Crore a year. Although Bumrah has been out of competitive action for more than six months, the pacer has retained his position in the top grade. 

Meanwhile, under-fire wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has been demoted to Grade B, after a string of underwhelming performances with the national side, particularly in Test cricket. He joins Shubman Gill in the bracket, who was promoted after a massively successful few months, which also saw him become the youngest international cricketer to score a double century in ODIs. Follow the Indian Cricket Team with the best betting odds from Gclub.

In addition to Rahul and Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Suryakumar Yadav, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Shreyas Iyer have also been given Grade B contracts. They will earn Rs.3 Crore a year. 

Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Shami formed the Grade A list, and will take home Rs.5 Crore a year. Pant has remained a centrally contracted player despite being ruled out until the second half of 2024 after suffering several injuries in a road accident. 

Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, KS Bharat, and stalwart Shikhar Dhawan have all been awarded Grade C contracts, which will earn them Rs.1 Crore a year. More importantly for Dhawan, the awarding of the contract could suggest that he is still in the plans of the management for the World Cup later this year, a huge positive for him. 

Meanwhile, it was decidedly the end of the road for fellow veterans Ajinkya Rahane, and Ishant Sharma, who have both been dropped out of the list, after being awarded Grade B contracts last year. Get more updates on the Indian Cricket team only on Gclub Sports.