Why is Ishan Kishan not in BCCI contract list 2026? The question has picked up pace after the BCCI contract list 2026 was officially announced, especially because Kishan is part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad but missing from the BCCI central contract.
The BCCI contracts 2025-26, covering October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, feature 30 players across Category A, B and C. However, Ishan Kishan BCCI contract status remains unchanged — he is not included in the latest BCCI contract list. Meanwhile, India are also nursing concerns around Kishan’s opening partner Abhishek Sharma injury ahead of the Namibia clash in T20 World Cup 2026.
(updated on Feb 10, 2026)
Why Is Ishan Kishan Not In BCCI Contract List 2026?
To understand why is Ishan Kishan not in BCCI contract list 2026, it is important to examine the evaluation window and the board’s selection policy.
BCCI central contract decisions are based strictly on a player’s contributions during the designated review period. During the previous cycle, Kishan did not represent India in international cricket and was largely absent from domestic red-ball fixtures after taking a mental health break in late 2023.
The BCCI directive requires players who are not on national duty and are injury-free to participate in domestic cricket. This guideline significantly influences central contract BCCI decisions. Kishan, who was included in Grade C last year, now misses out completely from the BCCI contracts 2025-26 list.
The fact that he did not play any match in 2025 is one thing, but even with his recent rise to form, Kishan, who is a one-format player, will not play many games by the end of the contract period. The new central contract is also based on volume of games played and number of series a player is part of during the previous season and Kishan has none to show for in 2025, which is not the case for someone like Ravi Bishnoi, who played a reasonable number of games in 2025.
He is not alone. Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Mukesh Kumar have also been dropped from the current BCCI contract list 2026. Meanwhile, Axar Patel has suffered a demotion, moving from Grade B to Category C despite being a regular white-ball contributor.
BCCI Central Contract Structure Explained
The BCCI contract list 2026 no longer includes the A+ category that existed in the previous cycle. Players are now divided into:
- Category A
- Category B
- Category C
Search interest around BCCI Grade A players salary and BCCI Grade A salary has surged following the announcement, although the board has not publicly disclosed updated pay figures for this cycle.
The absence of Kishan from the BCCI central contract is therefore linked more to evaluation criteria than present-day form.
Ishan Kishan’s Resurgence Before T20 World Cup 2026
Interestingly, the discussion around why is Ishan Kishan not in BCCI contract list 2026 comes at a time when his performances have improved significantly.
Kishan forced his way back into contention through strong domestic outings, particularly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, where he led Jharkhand to the title and finished as the highest run-scorer with a strike rate close to 200. His performances earned him a spot in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad.
However, BCCI central contract reviews operate on a fixed cycle. Selection in a major ICC tournament does not automatically guarantee reinstatement in the BCCI contract list 2026. This applies to someone else too. Axar Patel was downgraded from Grade B to C in BCCI contract list 2026.
So, why is Ishan Kishan not in BCCI contract list 2026?
The answer lies in timing, participation during the evaluation window, and the BCCI central contract policy rather than his current form.
If his international comeback continues, a return to the central contract BCCI list in the next cycle remains a realistic possibility.
BCCI Contract List 2026
A category-wise breakdown of the BCCI Contract List 2026.
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| Category A | Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja |
| Category B | Washington Sundar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer |
| Category C | Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, B Sai Sudharsan, Ravi Bishnoi, Ruturaj Gaikwad |
Which players missed BCCI contract list 2026?
Players Dropped From BCCI Contract List 2026:
| Status | Player Name |
|---|---|
| Out | Mohammed Shami |
| Out | Ishan Kishan |
| Out | Rajat Patidar |
| Out | Mukesh Kumar |
| Out | Sarfaraz Khan |
Why Is There No A+ Grade In BCCI Contract List 2026?
The absence of the A+ grade in the BCCI contract list 2026 is not officially explained by the board, but structurally, it appears to be a simplification of the central contract system.
In the previous cycle, the A+ category was reserved for India’s all-format regulars — typically players who featured consistently in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. In the 2024-25 list, that tier included:
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Ravindra Jadeja
However, going into the 2025-26 cycle, two major shifts happened:
- Format specialisation increased – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli now play only one international format.
- Leadership transition – Shubman Gill took over as Test and ODI captain, while Suryakumar Yadav leads in T20Is.
Because fewer players now play across all three formats consistently, the BCCI appears to have merged the earlier A+ and A structure into a single top tier — Category A.
For schedule, venues and latest updates, see our T20 World Cup 2026 news page.
