What Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan Would Miss in the Absence of a BCCI Contract: Making the Switch from High Fees to NCA Practice

This year, the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) took a significant step in the sport when they decided not to include Indian cricket talents Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in the central contracts. The young players’ decision to prioritize the Indian Premier League over domestic red ball tournaments, despite receiving several warnings, infuriated the cricket body. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer stand to lose not just recognition but also financial and professional consequences as a result of their exclusion from the central contracts, which is a serious setback for them.

Things Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer will Miss Out On

1. Four sections comprise the central contracts of the BCCI: A+, A, B, and C. The annual fees incurred by cricketers vary based on their contracts. Shreyas Iyer was placed in Grade B in 2023 and was paid an annual fee of ₹3 crore.A match fee of ₹1 crore was awarded to Ishan Kishan, who was rated in Grade C.

   

2. As of the 2023-24 BCCI contract, there are 4 athletes in Grade A+, 6 athletes in Grade A, 5 athletes in Grade B, and 15 athletes in Grade C.
3. Players with central contracts have access to a range of facilities offered by the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are free to use the ground for practice whenever they wish, but they will now require permission from their respective state authorities to use NCA services.
4. In other competitions such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), BCCI makes up for losses incurred by players with central contracts in the event that they sustain injuries while representing India. In the event of an injury occurring during or prior to IPL 2024, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan will now have to endure that loss.

Why is BCCI Upset with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer?

A few days before the decision to exclude Ishan Kishan from the central contract by the BCCI, the young batsman was seen practicing with Mumbai Indians’ (MI) captain Hardik Pandya at the pre-IPL camp of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). According to ESPNcricinfo, BCCI was particularly annoyed by those images as Ishan Kishan had missed the Ranji Trophy 2024 match for Mumbai.

“There is a way back for anyone and everyone. It’s not that we rule out anybody from anything,” Rahul Dravid after the 2nd Test in Vizag.

“Again, I just don’t want to go on laboring about the Ishan Kishan point. I have tried to explain this as best as I can. He had requested a break, we were happy to give him a break.

“Whenever he is ready, I didn’t say he has to play domestic cricket, I said whenever he is ready… he needs to play some cricket and come back. The choice is his. We are not forcing him to do anything. We are in touch with him.”

While acknowledging that the team management cannot make someone play domestic cricket, Rahul Dravid emphasized that Ishan must play competitive cricket before considering a return to the senior national squad.

However, Shreyas Iyer was left out of the team for the final three Test matches against England. Iyer’s back ailment problem was said to have reappeared, but it appears that the team administration was not pleased with the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Notably, Shreyas Iyer has been called up to the Mumbai team for the Ranji Trophy semi-final that will take place in Mumbai between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.