BCCI rules keep Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, and Vijay Shankar out of central retainer contract

When BCCI announced the new annual contracts last year, they were applauded for their new initiative for adding A+ grade contracts with players, who played in all three formats, getting a pay hike of up to 1300%. That ensured parity and made sure that the cricketers were well-apprised for their service rendered to the Indian cricket team. 

This year, the BCCI decided to let some players off from the list while promoting last year’s impressive performers to the 25-man final list of BCCI-contracted cricketers, prepared by the five-man national selection panel. While Rishabh Pant has been straightaway added to the Grade A for his exploits against England, Windies, and Australia in Tests, Hanuma Vihari found himself in the Grade C which made sure a 1 cr annual retainer contract for him. 

While everyone seems to have been neatly apprised, Twitter was abuzz with the fact that why Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Vijay Shankar weren’t included on the list despite impressing at the international level in the limited opportunities they have received. The fact of the matter is it is a very simple calculation for the national selection committee and one that has been bound by the minimum criteria that the board had formulated on March 7, 2018, while announcing 2018-19 annual retainer contract. 

A state cricket board official, privy to the contract system of the BCCI, confirmed in an exclusive chat with SportsCafe that for a player to be eligible for the annual retainer contract under BCCI, he should have played at least three Tests or eight ODIs. Considering the fact that Shaw and Agarwal are just two Tests old, and Vijay Shankar hasn’t played no more than six ODIs (Before March 7) in their career, they were kept out of the team. That went against their selection for the annual salary scheme and that was exactly the reason why the trio have been kept out of the squad.