New Delhi . Amidst the excitement of the T20 World Cup, when BCCI released the list of its new central contracts, it was expected that this announcement would be limited only to the discussion of the achievements of the players. But this did not happen. The decision to completely remove the A+ category and keep many big names in lower grades has sparked a new debate in the circles of cricket. Questions are being raised whether this time there has been injustice to some players?

In this list, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have got place in Grade-A. While Gill is the captain of the Test and ODI teams, Bumrah and Jadeja are considered the backbone of the Indian team. But this is where the voices of disagreement also become louder. If Jadeja, who plays two formats, is in Grade-A, then why are players like Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav in Grade-B?

KL Rahul has been a constant part of the Test and ODI teams and has played important innings for the team in difficult conditions. Kuldeep Yadav is available for all three formats and proves to be a match winner whenever he gets a chance. Despite this, keeping these two in Grade-B is irritating many former players and fans. The case of Hardik Pandya is also similar. He is one of India’s greatest all-rounders in limited overs and has played a decisive role in big tournaments.

Most of the discussion is taking place about Akshar Patel. Akshar plays all three formats and has also served as vice-captain in the T20 team. His contribution with both ball and bat has been consistent, yet he has been placed in Grade-C. Not only this, Arshdeep Singh, who was a part of the team that won the T20 World Cup 2024, who has become India’s leading bowler in T20 and is now making his place in ODIs as well, has also been put in Grade-C.

Former cricketer and expert Aakash Chopra has also openly raised questions on this entire issue. He wrote on social media platform A player who plays all three formats, is vice-captain in one format and is still Grade-C? He also asked that if Jadeja and Gill are in Grade-A, then why not Hardik, Rahul and Kuldeep?

Overall, this central contract of BCCI has raised a big question on the performance and grading parameters of the players. Now it remains to be seen what stand the board takes on these criticisms in the future or this debate will continue to heat up among cricket lovers.