India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been rewarded with a Grade C BCCI central contract for the 2024–25 season after a standout performance in the Champions Trophy. The off-spinner, known for his unorthodox variations, has finally broken into the contract list after consistently delivering in white-ball cricket.

Chakaravarthy’s inclusion comes as part of the BCCI’s Annual Player Contracts for the period from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. His impressive showing in India’s Champions Trophy campaign, coupled with his growing presence in limited-overs cricket, helped him meet the qualification threshold of 18 international matches (including 4 ODIs and 12 T20Is), making him eligible for a Grade C contract, which carries an annual salary of Rs 1 crore.

Top-tier contracts remain unchanged

The A+ category remains unchanged, with stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja continuing to lead the pack. Each of them earns Rs 7 crore annually under the central contract.

Comebacks and exits

Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped from the contract list last year for not playing domestic cricket, has made a return in Grade B, while Ishan Kishan also finds a spot again, but in Grade C. Ravichandran Ashwin exits the list following his international retirement.

Full contract category breakdown

  • A+ Grade (Rs 7 crore): Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja

  • A Grade (Rs 5 crore): Md. Siraj, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Md. Shami, Rishabh Pant

  • B Grade (Rs 3 crore): Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer

  • C Grade (Rs 1 crore): Rinku Singh, Tilak Verma, 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, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, Akash Deep, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana