Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan Return to BCCI Central Contracts; Rohit Sharma Achieves Dual IPL Milestones

BCCI announces 2024–25 central contracts with key comebacks for Shreyas and Ishan, while Rohit Sharma surpasses Kohli in Player of the Match awards and becomes IPL’s second-highest run-scorer.

📍 Mumbai | April 21, 2025

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled its Annual Player Contracts for the 2024–25 season (effective from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025), featuring notable comebacks by Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who were dropped last year due to non-participation in the Ranji Trophy.

---

📋 BCCI Central Contracts – Key Highlights

• Shreyas Iyer returns in Grade B
• Ishan Kishan is placed in Grade C

Last season, both players were excluded due to disciplinary concerns around domestic cricket commitments. Their reinstatement signals renewed faith from selectors as India builds towards a crucial international season.

---

🏏 Player Grade List Snapshot

Grade A+

• Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

Grade A

• Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant

Grade B

• Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Grade C

• Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi,
  Washington Sundar, Mukesh Kumar, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna,
  Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma,
  Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana

---

👑 Rohit Sharma: Record-Breaking IPL Night

In Sunday’s IPL 2025 Match 38, Rohit Sharma delivered a sensational unbeaten 76 off 45 balls* against Chennai Super Kings, striking six sixes and four fours at a strike rate of 168.89.

As a result:

• He earned his 20th Player of the Match (POTM) award, surpassing Virat Kohli (19) to become India’s top performer in IPL awards history.
• He also overtook Shikhar Dhawan to become the second-highest run-scorer in IPL history, with 6,786 runs.

---

🏆 Top 5 – Most Player of the Match Awards in IPL

1. AB de Villiers – 25
2. Chris Gayle – 22
3. Rohit Sharma – 20
4. Virat Kohli – 19
5. MS Dhoni / David Warner – 18 each

---

📈 Rohit Sharma – IPL 2025 Stats So Far

• Matches: 7
• Runs: 158
• Average: 26.33
• Strike Rate: 154.90
• Fifties: 1
• Best: 76*

Rohit’s recent surge in form bolsters Mumbai Indians‘ campaign and solidifies his place among IPL’s elite.

---

📌 Tags:

BCCI contracts, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, IPL records, Virat Kohli, Player of the Match, IPL 2025, central contracts, Indian cricket, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Dhoni, David Warner