BCCI annual contracts: Rodrigues elevated to Grade A; Patil, Vastrakar miss out

Jemimah Rodrigues has been awarded the top grade in the BCCI women's central contracts for 2025-26. Rodrigues' promotion comes on the back of a stunning turnaround in form that was instrumental in India winning their first-ever World Cup in November last year.

While the BCCI did not specify the value of the different contract grades, ESPNcricinfo understands there has been no change to last year's structure, which pegs Grade A at INR 50 lakh, Grade B at INR 30 lakh, and Grade C at INR 10 lakh.

Rodrigues, whose semi-final century knocked Australia out, is the sole addition to Grade A, which also includes Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma.

There was significant movement in Grade B, with Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, and Arundhati Reddy - all part of the World Cup-winning squad - earning promotions, while Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, and Uma Chetry are the new entrants.

Rawal was India's second-highest run-getter at the World Cup, tallying 308 runs in six innings at an average of 51.33 before being injured, while Gaud impressed most notably in India's ODI series win in England last July, where she picked up a career-best 6 for 52.

Meanwhile, Sneh Rana also earned a step up to Grade B following a sensational international comeback midway through 2025, with her 15 wickets in the Sri Lanka tri-series earning her the Player of the Tournament award. Like last year, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Renuka Singh continued in the middle tier.

Barring Yastika Bhatia, who is recovering from a knee injury, Grade C was filled with new entrants, most notably Shree Charani and Harleen Deol, both part of the World Cup squad. Charani was India's second-highest wicket-taker (14), behind Deepti (22), while Harleen featured in seven matches during the campaign.

Vaishnavi Sharma and G Kamalini, who made their debuts during the recently concluded home T20Is against Sri Lanka in December, are also part of the list, alongside Kashvee Gautam and Tejal Hasabnis, who played the most recent of her six ODIs in January 2025.

All-rounders Shreyanka Patil and Pooja Vastrakar were notable omissions. Both held Grade C retainers during the previous cycle and spent the subsequent year on the sidelines rehabbing from multiple injuries. Patil and Vastrakar featured recently in RCB's triumphant WPL campaign last week; Patil has since been named in India's T20I squad for the Australia series beginning next week.

Grade A: Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma

Grade B: Renuka Thakur, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Pratika Rawal, Kranti Gaud, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy

Grade C: Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Kashvee Gautam, G Kamalini, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tejal Hasabnis