Recent reports on the renewal of BCCI contracts have been shocking for Indian fans. The shock now continues for Mohammed Shami, as the veteran pacer might lose his central contract with the BCCI alongside Bengal teammate Mukesh Kumar.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all set to announce its central contracts for the upcoming season, and this is evident from recent reports that India is going to witness a massive shift in power dynamics.
The current contracted BCCI players:
Grade A+: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja
Grade A: Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya.
Grade B: Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Grade C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakravarthy, and Harshit Rana
Mohammed Shami to be snubbed from the BCCI Contract after international snub
As the new contracts could be announced anytime soon, not everyone’s tale is a story of wonder. Few players will have to face the unfortunate axing of the BCCI. Considering recent conditions, Mohammed Shami is among the biggest names to be snubbed from a contract renewal.
The Bengal pacer has been a special performer in the domestic season this time. He has been Bengal’s finest in the games he has played in the Ranji Trophy, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Alongside Mohammed Shami, who might be losing his contract due to his frequent unavailability due to injuries, his Bengal teammate Mukesh Kumar, who, unlike Shami, was contracted under Grade C with the BCCI, might also find himself excluded.
Reports: Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar Likely to Miss Out on BCCI Central Contracts 2025–26.#BCCI #CentralContracts #MohammedShami #MukeshKumar #IndianCricket #TeamIndia #CricketNews #mykhel pic.twitter.com/X1q4qdaWbS
— myKhel.com (@mykhelcom) December 29, 2025
New era unfolds: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma to be promoted in BCCI’s central contract
Over all these years, Shubman Gill has been waiting eagerly, as he was slotted in at Grade A last time around. However, he might be promoted to Grade A+ after he has been valued as an all-format player for India and the captain across two formats.
Several other crucial players for the Indian team in the coming years, like Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, and Abhishek Sharma, all might be receiving a promotion in their contracts.
While KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya can be considered for an A+ contract, the likes of young Jaiswal, Abhishek, and the Indian vice-captain Shreyas Iyer can receive a Grade A contract. The likes of Axar Patel can be seen moving to A contract while Ravindra Jadeja might be demoted for restructuring.
Indian legends to be demoted from Grade A+ after Test retirement
Some ideas of demotions have shocked Indian fans. The Indian legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been speculated to be demoted from Grade A+ and handed a new status in BCCI’s central contracts.
These might be the consequence of their decision to retire from the Test format as well. This decision is in line with considering that they are only useful in the ODIs and any other format. Some reports have also claimed that Jasprit Bumrah might also receive a demotion due to restructuring, but this seems highly unlikely.
But what remains assured is that Mohammed Shami will no longer be part of India’s scheme of things in international cricket.
