Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma may lose BCCI central contract; Hardik, Surya to get promotion

Hardik
Pandya,
who
is
being
seen
as
future
T20
captain,
is
likely
to
get
a
promotion
to
Group
B
from
C.

The
meeting,
which
has
12
items
on
the
agenda,
will
be
held
via
video
conference.

A
review
of
the
Indian
team’s
performance
in
the
T20
World
Cup
and
Bangladesh
one-dayers
is
not
part
of
the
agenda
but
if
the
chairperson
deems
necessary,
non-listed
items
can
be
considered
for
discussion.

In
a
novel
gesture,
the
Apex
Council
will
also
ratify
a
one-time
payment
for
V
Jaydevan,
whose
rain-rule
formula
is
being
used
in
domestic
white-ball
games
for
more
than
a
decade
now.

At
the
international
level,
ICC
uses
Duckworth-Lewis-Stern
method
(DLS)
while
VJD
is
used
for
the
Syed
Mushtaq
Ali
Trophy,
Vijay
Hazare
Trophy
and
the
erstwhile
Deodhar
Trophy
and
Challenger
Trophy.

One
of
the
major
items
on
the
agenda
is
“Retainership
Contract”
of
senior
men
and
women
cricketers.

It
is
understood
that
former
vice-captain
Rahane
and
speedster
Ishant,
who
are
out
of
India
contention,
will
be
axed
from
the
fresh
list.

Stumper-batter
Wriddhiman
Saha
will
also
be
axed
from
the
list
as
he
was
specifically
told
at
the
start
of
the
year
that
he
won’t
be
selected
for
India
again.

An
A+
contracts
offers
Rs.
7
crore,
Group
A
Rs.
5
crore,
Group
B
Rs
3
crore
and
Group
C
offers
Rs.
1
to
the
cricketers.

There
are
multiple
metrics
used
by
the
BCCI
in
consultation
with
national
selectors
to
determine
the
gradation
system.

A+
and
A
are
two
categories
where
the
players
are
either
all-format
regulars
or
at
least
certainty
in
Tests
along
with
one
of
the
two
white-ball
formats.
To
be
in
Group
B,
a
cricketer
has
to
play
at
least
two
formats
while
group
C
is
primarily
for
single-format
players.

Also,
one
needs
to
play
a
specific
number
of
international
games
(per
format)
for
inclusion
in
the
list.
The
promotion
however
is
performance-based
and
ICC
rankings
are
also
taken
into
consideration.

“Surya
was
in
Group
C
but
his
performance
in
the
last
one
year
warrants
a
promotion
to
Group
B
at
least,
if
not
A.
He
is
currently
world
No.
1
in
T20I
ICC
rankings
and
is
a
serious
contender
in
the
ODI
team
also,”
a
senior
official
told
PTI
.

Gill,
who
is
now
a
two-format
regular
(Tests
and
ODIs)
can
expect
a
promotion
from
Group
C
to
B.

Someone
like
Ishan
Kishan
who
has
played
considerable
number
of
international
games
across
two
formats
in
2022,
is
likely
to
enter
the
list.

Pandya,
who
has
now
led
the
national
team
in
two
T20I
away
series,
might
be
included
in
group
B
after
a
string
of
consistent
shows.

He
was
demoted
to
Group
C
last
year
after
missing
a
major
part
of
last
season
due
to
a
back
injury.

The
BCCI
will
also
discuss
the
status
of
two
of
its
premier
jersey
sponsors
–
edu-tech
giant
BYJUs
and
kit
sponsors
MPL.

An
Infrastructure
sub-committee
will
also
be
formed
and
upgradation
of
five
venues
will
also
be
discussed.

Appointment
of
consultancy
firm
Grant
Thornton
is
also
on
the
agenda
list.

The
venues
for
India’s
home
series
against
Sri
Lanka
and
New
Zealand
(ODIs
and
T20Is)
and
Australia
(Tests
and
ODIs)
have
already
been
announced
and
it
will
be
ratified
by
the
Council
along
with
the
new
Cricket
Advisory
Committee,
headed
by
former
Test
cricketer
Ashok
Malhotra.