BCCI Likely To Compensate Jasprit Bumrah As ₹2 Crore Pay Gap Emerges Following New Central Contracts Structure: Report

A month after announcing Team India’s men’s central contract list, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to relook the structure as a ₹2 crore gap emerged after the board’s decision to scrap the A+ category. With Jasprit Bumrah getting pushed to category A, owing to the new structure, the board is reportedly looking to compensate him as the ace fast bowler has come down to ₹5 crore from ₹7 crore.

Why did BCCI abolished category A+?

Traditionally, the A+ central contract category applied to those who are regulars across formats but Bumrah was the only player in that list after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after T20 World Cup 2024. As per reports, the structural imbalance triggered forced the BCCI to scrap the category altogether. Hence, Bumrah was pushed to category A alongside Jadeja and Shubman Gill despite being a fulcrum of India’s XI across formats.

A BCCI source told The Times of India the below:

“The board is trying to figure out how Bumrah can be compensated. It is understandable that it will be unfair to slash his fees from ₹7 crore to ₹5 crore. There are some other players also who seem to have moved down a grade despite being performers. There could be a revision in the valuation of the contracts.”

The apex body of Indian cricket could also take into account Axar Patel’s case, given the all-rounder has been a mainstay in India’s white-ball setup over the past season and is now in B category. The likes of KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj are also in the same bracket despite being a regular fixture in at least two formats.

Jasprit Bumrah’s next appearance set to be in IPL 2026

Meanwhile, Bumrah will next make an appearance in professional cricket during the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians. The right-arm speedster is the second-highest wicket-taker for the franchise, snaffling 186 scalps in 148 games at 22.12 alongside a couple of five-wicket hauls. He is only 10 wickets away from overtaking Lasith Malinga as the leading wicket-taker for the franchise.