Players with 10 T20I caps now eligible for BCCI Central Contract: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can change the rules of the annual contract to be given to players. The board can also give contracts on the basis of T20 cricket. If a player takes at least 10 T20 Internationals in a season, he can be entitled to the contract. Earlier contracts were extended only to players selected for Tests and ODIs.

During the tenure of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA), the Indian board refused to include those who had played only a few T20 matches. Earlier, the board followed the policy that any player who played in a format in a season would fall under the board’s central contracting system.

The rules were later revised and the COA decided to award contracts to players with a minimum of three Tests or seven ODIs. However, an exception was made last season when the selection committee handed Washington Sundar a contract. The selectors felt that they should be rewarded for their consistent performance in the shortest format.

“The board has decided to change the old rules and add a new one,” a BCCI source told The Indian Express. Accordingly, a player who has played at least ten T20 games in a year can be given a central contract. According to the source, this rule can be added to the new contract signed by the players.

If someone is a T20 specialist, he should not be denied a central contract as his specialty is the shortest format. “BCCI gives players contracts in four categories. 7 crore rupees are given to the players in the A + category. 5 crore is given to A, 3 crores to B and 1 rupee to C.