New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the annual player retainership list for the 2025-26 season. The contracts are divided into Grade A, Grade B and Grade C. Category A+ has been discontinued.

Grade A has just three names, indicating a tight premium bracket: Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. This is a sharp signal of who the board currently places at the very top of the national set-up. Players in this category will receive an annual salary of Rs.5 crore.

The most shocking part is that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not part of the top category. From Category A+, they have been downgraded to Grade B.

Washington Sundar's name is placed ahead of Kohli and Rohit in the BCCI'...