BCCI to grant central contracts to players with a minimum of 10 T20I matches

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to provide central contracts to cricketers, who have played a minimum of 10 T20 Internationals in their career. Earlier, players, who took part in only Test and ODI cricket were given the contracts. However, it’s been learned that the world’s richest cricket board has brought in some changes in their latest annual contracts.

When the Committee of Administrators (CoA), appointed by the Supreme Court, was in operation, the BCCI didn’t give any weightage to the cricketers, who played only a few T20I matches. Before the CoA came to the fore, cricketers with international experience, irrespective of the format, came under the board’s central contract system.

But later, the eligibility criterion was modified to a minimum of seven ODIs or three Tests. Last year, an exception was made after Washington Sundar was given a central contract, bearing in mind the potential he showed in the shorter format.

BCCI brings forth a change

“The board has decided to change the old clause and add a new one where a player who’s played a minimum of 10 T20 games in a year can be given a central contract. In the new contract signed by players, this clause was included.

“If there’s one specialist T20 player, he should not be deprived of a central contract because his speciality is the shortest format,” a source was quoted as saying to the Indian Express.

For the time being, BCCI’s centrally contracted players are segregated into four categories. Category A, B, C and D get seven crores, five crores, three crores and one crore respectively.

Virat Kohli, the all-format captain, Rohit Sharma, the limited-overs vice-captain, and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah were placed in Category A for the 2019-20 contracts.

Team India in Sydney

As of now, the Indian cricketers are currently in Australia for the T20I, ODI and Test series, starting November 27. The players are presently quarantining and training in Sydney after they reached the New South Wales capital on Thursday.

It was back in February that the Indian players took part in an international game during their tour of New Zealand. Recently, they had a gruelling campaign in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) for a couple of months.