Punjab Newsline,Sports :
Harmanpreet, Smriti and Deepti Retained; 21 Players Awarded Contracts, 8 New Faces Included
A major update has emerged from Indian women’s cricket regarding the central contracts. As per reports, batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been promoted to Grade A in the BCCI women’s central contracts. She now joins all-format captain Harmanpreet Kaur, star opener Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Deepti Sharma in the topmost category. Players placed in Grade A earn an annual retainer of Rs 50 lakh, reflecting their importance and consistent performances for the national team.
According to a report by Dainik Jagaran, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has awarded central contracts to a total of 21 players in the women’s category. The contracts are divided into three grades — A, B and C. While Grade B players receive Rs 30 lakh annually, those placed in Grade C are paid Rs 10 lakh per year.
The report states that several young and emerging players have been included as fresh entrants in the central contracts list. Eight players — Pratika Rawal, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma and Tejal Hasabnis — have made it to the list for the first time, highlighting BCCI’s focus on strengthening the future core of the women’s team.
In terms of grading, Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh and Sneh Rana have been placed in Grade B. Meanwhile, Grade C includes Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Goud, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma and Tejal Hasabnis.
Several players such as Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry and Sneh Rana have successfully retained their central contracts, indicating consistency in their performances at the international level.
As per earlier central contracts announced for the 2024/25 season in March 2025, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and Shafali Verma were retained in Grade B, while Yastika Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar were part of Grade C. Shreyanka Patil, Titas Sadhu, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur and Uma Chetry were among the new faces then.
After winning their maiden ODI World Cup title, the Women in Blue are now preparing for a high-profile multi-format series against Australia, scheduled to begin on February 15. Meanwhile, the BCCI is also expected to discuss possible changes to the men’s central contracts system in its upcoming Apex Council meeting, based on proposals from the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.