The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the annual retainership for the 2023-24 season, bringing both surprises and disappointments. Notably, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have lost their contracts as a consequence of choosing to skip Ranji Trophy matches.

Kishan, who has been on an extended break citing "personal reasons" since returning from the India tour of South Africa, has been practicing with Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda. However, despite being advised by the Indian Board to participate in the Ranji Trophy, Kishan has not represented Jharkhand in the tournament.

Similarly, Shreyas Iyer was absent from Mumbai's crucial Ranji Trophy encounters against Assam and Baroda. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah had previously warned centrally contracted and India A cricketers about the repercussions of non-participation in the Ranji Trophy, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar given a "free hand" in handling such cases.

The BCCI, once again, emphasized the importance of domestic cricket, urging all athletes to prioritize participating in domestic tournaments during periods when they are not representing the national team.

On a positive note, top players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja have secured the highest category (Grade A+) in BCCI central contracts. The contracts for Team India (Senior Men) will be effective from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

The selection criteria for Grade C contracts include playing a minimum of 3 Tests or 8 ODIs or 10 T20Is within the specified period. Notable inclusions in Grade C are Rinku Singh and Tilak Verma, along with the comeback of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube to the Indian T20I team.

The selection committee also recommended fast bowling contracts for promising athletes like Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa.

The annual contracts list is as follows:

Grade A+ (4 Athletes):

Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli

Jasprit Bumrah

Ravindra Jadeja

Grade A (6 Athletes):

R Ashwin

Mohd. Shami

Mohd. Siraj

KL Rahul

Shubman Gill

Hardik Pandya

Grade B (5 Athletes):

Surya Kumar Yadav

Rishabh Pant

Kuldeep Yadav

Axar Patel

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Grade C (15 Athletes):

Rinku Singh

Tilak Verma

Ruturaj Gaekwad

Shardul Thakur

Shivam Dube

Ravi Bishnoi

Jitesh Sharma

Washington Sundar

Mukesh Kumar

Sanju Samson

Arshdeep Singh

KS Bharat

Prasidh Krishna

Avesh Khan

Rajat Patidar