On April 21, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the central contracts. This announcement did not carry any shockers. This included players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan moving back, while retirees like Ravichandran Ashwin have been missing. High performers such as Rishabh Pant have been promoted. But that one thing, raised eyebrows. Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma remained among the select few for the Grade A+ category. Now, why was all that puzzling? According to the own BCCI guidelines, the highest category, with a salary of Rs 7 crore, is for players who are automatic choices in all three formats for India. None of the three cricket icons, however, plays all the formats of cricket. They all declared their retirement from T20Is after winning the World Cup in 2024, leaving them now as two-format players. In that context, they should not be qualified for Grade A+ contracts. So why were they part of it? According to PTI, the contracts are set for the period from October 2024 to September 2025, with performance assessment covering October 2023 to September 2024. During that period, Rohit, Kohli, and Jadeja were members of the Indian team across all three formats. They did not retire from T20Is till June 2024, which hypothetically makes them eligible for the A+ contract. This explains their presence. However, by that logic, they are unlikely to remain in the top grade when contracts are announced again next year. Also Read | IPL 2025: LSG vs DC Clash Sparks Frenzy on Twitter BCCI source Commented: “The period of the fresh central contract is from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. But the assessment year is October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja played the T20 World Cup final in June 2024, and hence, at that time, they were all-format regulars. Going by that technicality, they are supposed to be in the A+ category.”