The BCCI is likely to remove out of favor Test Specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma from their annual central contracts, while Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav may be promoted when the 2022-23 season roster is finalized at the Apex Council meeting of the Board on December 21. Hardik Pandya, who is seen as a future T20 captain, is likely to be promoted to Group B from C. The meeting, which has 12 items on the agenda, will be held via video conference. A review of the performance of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup and Bangladesh One-Dayers is not on the agenda, but if the chairman deems it necessary, unlisted points can be discussed.
In a new gesture, the Apex Council will also approve a one-time payment for V Jaydevan, whose rain rule formula has been used in domestic white-ball games for more than a decade now.
At the international level, ICC uses the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS), while VJD is used for Mushtaq Ali T20, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the former Deodhar Trophy and Challenger Trophy.
Changes to Central Contract
One of the main items on the agenda is the “Retainership Contract” of senior male and female cricketers.
It is clear that former vice-captain Rahane and speedster Ishant, who are not in India, will be dropped from the new list. Stumper batter Wriddhiman Saha will also be dropped from the list as he was specifically told at the start of the year that he will not be selected again for India.
An A+ contract offers Rs 7 crore, Group A Rs 5 crore, Group B Rs 3 crore and Rs Group C offers Rs 1 to the cricketers.
There are multiple standards used by the BCCI in consultation with national selectors to determine the grading system.
A+ and A are two categories in which the players are either regulars of all formats or at least certain in Tests along with one of the two white-ball formats. To be in Group B, a cricketer must play at least two formats, while Group C is mainly for one-sized players.
Also, one must play a specific number of international games (per format) to be included in the list. However, the promotion is performance based and the ICC ranking is also taken into account.
Surya was in Group C but his performance over the past year warrants a promotion to Group B, at least A. He is currently the world number 1 in the T20I ICC rankings and is also a serious contender in the ODI team,” a senior official, who is aware of the developments, told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Gill, who is now a regular player in two formats (Tests and ODIs), can expect promotion from Group C to B.
Someone like Ishan Kishan, who has played a significant number of international matches in two formats in 2022, is likely to make the list.
Pandya, who has now led the national team in two T20I away games, could be drawn into Group B after a run of consistent showings. He was relegated to Group C last year after missing much of last season with a back injury.
Other items on agenda
The BCCI will also discuss the status of two of its major jersey sponsors – edu-tech giant BYJUs and kit sponsors MPL.
An Infrastructure sub-committee will also be formed and the upgrade of five sites will also be discussed.
The appointment of consultancy firm Grant Thornton is also on the agenda.
The venues for India’s home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand (ODIs and T20Is) and Australia (Tests and ODIs) have already been announced and will be endorsed by the Council along with the new Cricket Advisory Committee, headed by former Test cricketer Ashok Malhotra.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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