The Board of Control for Cricket in India is scheduled to review central contracts during its Apex Council meeting on December 22. Among the major talking points is the possible downgrade of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the A category, a decision that could result in a pay cut of INR 2 crore for both players.
Kohli and Rohit currently hold A contracts worth INR 7 crore annually. However, both players retired from T20Is in 2024 and from Test cricket in 2025 and now feature ony in ODIs. Their A retention last season was based on a backdated assessment of their participation in Test matches earlier in the year.
With the new contract cycle approaching, the BCCI will re-evaluate whether the duo should remain in the top bracket or move down to Grade A, which carries a payout of INR 5 crore. A downgrade would effectively slash their retainer by INR 2 crore. The December 22 AGM will cover multiple agenda points, but the central contracts, especially those of Kohli and Rohit, are set to dominate the discussion. Whileboth the batters have produced brilliant performances, with Rohit being the Player of the Series against Australia, and Kohli bagging the same honour against South Africa this month.
