Kohli and Rohit, along with Jadeja and Bumrah are in A+ category of BCCI central contracts.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia talked about the organization revamping and restructuring central contracts for the Indian men’s players and justified why two of the icons of Indian cricket- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli- will likely get a pay cut.
Under the current pay structure, cricketers in the A+ category earn an annual salary of Rs 7 crore. Those in Category A receive Rs 5 crore, while players in Categories B and C are remunerated with Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore per year, respectively.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah were placed in the A+ category in the ongoing central contracts. But Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli only play one international format, and Jadeja has retired from T20Is. Bumrah’s workload has been carefully managed, but he plays all three formats for India.
With the board apparently planning to eliminate the A+ category, Kohli and Rohit are likely to be relegated to the B category.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia spoke on prospective changes to the two batting giants' remuneration, acknowledging that there are simply not enough players to be placed in the A+ grade at the moment, while neither Kohli nor Rohit currently qualifies for the A grade.
"The plan will go ahead very soon. We are removing one category because the players who were eligible for the A-plus category are now playing just one of the three formats. The criteria we have set to qualify a player for A-plus are not being fulfilled,” Devajit Saikia told Sportstar.
Saikia described the pay grade adjustment as solely a cricketing choice, stressing that there is no "heartburn" between management and players.
"Some of the players who were in that A+ bracket have decided not to play in all three formats. Therefore, there are not enough players remaining to qualify and fulfill the eligibility criteria. A one-format player will not be eligible for A+, so that is why we had to take a call. There is no heartburn,” Saikia explained.
The board hopes to encourage younger players to perform well in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is by simplifying the categories. This will ensure that the players with the most demanding schedules receive the biggest financial incentives.
Legends like Kohli and Rohit, who prioritize particular formats to maintain their physical longevity, see this shift as the inevitable end of their international careers.