The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its Central Contract List for the ongoing season, i.e., 2024-25. While quite a few new faces have found their names on the list, there are also quite a few names that have been demoted. These include the ones who were overlooked over the past year.
It is to be noted that Ravichandran Ashwin too has been removed from the list. This is, however, owing to the fact that the veteran all-rounder announced his retirement from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Also Read: From Harshit Rana to Varun Chakravarthy - Players who got promoted to maiden BCCI central contract
4 players who were snubbed off their contract
Shardul Thakur, Jitesh Sharma, KS Bharat, and Avesh Khan are the four players who have been snubbed from the current BCCI Central Contract List.
The quartet has either been injured or has been in extremely poor form throughout the last season. Thus, the BCCI has decided to do away with these players. These 4 players now have the chance of making it back by playing well in the domestic setup, like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan did after their snub last season.
It is interesting to note that these 4 players have all been previously placed in the Grade C category. KS Bharat shot into the limelight after Rishabh Pant's accident. With KL Rahul also injured, Bharat made his debut for the Indian side in Test cricket. But the keeper-batter failed to bite his mark and was yet again sidelined. Now, last season, with both Pant and KL back, KS Bharat was dropped from the contract list.
Jitesh Sharma, another name that impressed everyone. The pinch hitter was an obvious choice in making it to the ICC T20 World Cup. But his failure to play big knocks, coupled with his inconsistent style, saw him get ignored, eventually costing him his contract.
Two pacers, Avesh Khan and Shardul Thakur, battled injuries and poor form throughout the year. Both players spent considerable time at the NCA recovering from their injuries. The duo eventually found it hard to make a strong domestic comeback and thus has been snubbed from their contracts.
Also Read: BCCI Announces New Player Contract List, 34 Players Make The Cut
Players who have missed BCCI Central Contract 2024-25
Shardul Thakur (From Grade C to No Contract)
Jitesh Sharma (From Grade C to No Contract)
KS Bharat (From Grade C to No Contract)
Avesh Khan (From Grade C to No Contract)
