Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan are at risk of losing their BCCI central contracts for skipping Ranji Trophy matches. Iyer, who was placed in Grade B of the central contract in March 2023 with an annual earning of INR 3 Crore, and Kishan, placed in Grade C with an annual earning of INR 1 Crore, are both facing potential removal from the contract roster. Reports suggest that the BCCI is preparing to announce new central contracts for players, and Iyer and Kishan are likely to be dropped due to their reluctance to participate in domestic cricket.
Kishan has been on a hiatus for personal reasons since departing the team midway through the South Africa tour due to mental fatigue, while Iyer was recently omitted from the Test squad for the final three matches of the ongoing five-match Test series. However, the BCCI did not specify the reason behind dropping the Mumbai batter.
“The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have almost finalised the list of centrally-contracted players for the 2023-24 season too, which the BCCI will announce soon. Kishan and Iyer are likely to be excluded from that list, as both haven’t been playing domestic cricket despite the BCCI’s diktat to do so,” a source was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have missed the Ranji Trophy season despite being fit
Kishan has been training alongside his Mumbai Indians’ captain, Hardik Pandya, in Baroda and did not represent Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy 2024. Conversely, Iyer was absent from Mumbai’s recent league fixture against Assam in the Ranji Trophy 2024 and also missed the quarter-final match against Baroda, currently underway at the MCA Cricket Ground in Mumbai.
The 29-year-old athlete had informed the Mumbai Cricket Association of his unavailability for selection, citing back spasms. However, a new development arose when Nitin Patel, Head of Sports Science and Medicine at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, revealed in an email to the BCCI and national selectors that Iyer was deemed fit to play.
Jay Shah’s strict warning
Another insider disclosed that Iyer’s omission from the final three Tests against England was a precautionary step, with the email from Nitin Patel being sent after the second Test. Although a back issue had been troubling him since then. Additionally, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah emphasized the mandatory nature of participation in domestic cricket for centrally contracted and India A cricketers who are not part of the national team. Shah emphasized that failure to participate in the ongoing Ranji Trophy would not be tolerated and would lead to severe consequences for non-compliant cricketers.
The post BCCI Set to Terminate Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan’s Central Contracts after no-show in Ranji Trophy despite warning, Reports appeared first on Cricket Country.
