Cricket News

‘Hardik ko bhi inki list me jodo’- Fans react as Indian Cricket Board snubs Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from central contract list

Feb 28, 2024 9:58 pm

The Indian Cricket Board has unveiled its annual central contract list, sparking discussions within the cricketing fraternity. While the inclusion of rising stars like Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj in Grade A grabbed headlines, the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan has generated the most significant buzz.

The Board, while announcing the new list, clarified that Iyer and Kishan “were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations.” This decision reportedly stems from their lack of prioritization of domestic cricket, aligning with the board’s recent stance emphasizing the importance of participation in domestic tournaments for players outside of national team commitments.

While both Iyer and Kishan have displayed talent and potential, their absence in key domestic tournaments, particularly the Ranji Trophy, seems to have gone against them. This decision highlights the board’s focus on fostering a strong domestic circuit, which they view as crucial for developing future generations of Indian cricketers. Whether Iyer and Kishan can regain their central contracts in the future will likely depend on their commitment to the domestic circuit alongside their international performances.

Apart from the duo, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal have also lost out on their respective contracts. Meanwhile, youngsters like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have earned their maiden contracts.

Special contract for young pacers

Recognizing the crucial role of fast bowlers in contemporary cricket, the selection committee also proposed a new category – Fast Bowling contracts. This category welcomes young talents like Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa, acknowledging their potential and providing them with financial support and expert guidance to further develop their skills and contribute to India’s future bowling attack.

A+: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.

A: Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya

B: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

C: Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, KS Bharat, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar.

Here’s a look at how ‘X-verse’ reacted to the announcement:

Shami deserves an A..The way he performed in WORLDCUP

— Afzal Memon (@Afzalmeman092) February 28, 2024

Great action taken… 1st time BCCI has done right action in right time.

— Sayantan Pandit (@codziac) February 28, 2024

Any reason for Shreyas Iyer's exclusion???

-one of the highest run getter of world cup.
– saved the team from embarrassment in Bangladesh

He is going to play Ranji semi as well, when others are playing DY Patil T20 cup.

Played one Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai as well

— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) February 28, 2024