Despite playing a key role in India’s campaign to win the T20 World Cup, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah could lose Rs 2 crore under the new central contracts introduced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). A report in The Tech Word News on Wednesday, March 18 said that Bumrah’s salary could drop to Rs 5 crore from Rs 7 crore, with the board looking for ways to compensate for the loss of the fast bowler.
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The problem arises from a structural change in the contract system. Bumrah, who was part of the A+ category last season, has now been moved to the A category – one level below – after the BCCI scrapped the top plate following Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Test exit.
Category A is now the top group, with Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja joining Bumrah. However, while Bumrah earned Rs 7 crore in the A+ category last season, his revised ranking means his annual retainer will drop to Rs 5 crore.
According to the report, the salary structure for each category remains unchanged, effectively reducing the income ceiling by Rs 2 crore compared to last year. This prompted the board to consider interior modifications.
The report added that the BCCI wants to look into Bumrah’s case as he remains one of the few Indian players active in all three formats.
“The board is trying to figure out how Bumrah can be compensated. It is understandable that it would be unfair to reduce his fees from Rs 7 to Rs 5 cr. There are also some other players who seem to have moved down a notch despite being performers. There could be a revision in contract valuations,” a BCCI source told TOI on condition of anonymity.
Again, it needs to be clarified that the BCCI has not officially disclosed the monetary value associated with each category of contracts.
As things stand, Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be rested from most of the T20I series this season as India focus on the ODI side of things. India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the management team will sit down in the months of the IPL and make a plan for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
18 March 2026 15:59 IST
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