Despite not competing in any professional cricket post World Cup, India coach Ravi Shastri has mentioned on several occasions that Dhoni could be considered for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year if he performs well in the IPL.
Other newly added names in the contracts – as of now – encompass limited-overs specialists: Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer and Washington Sundar. They all became part of the system at Grade C, which carries a retainer of INR 1 crore (USD 140,000 approximately).
The A+ grade, which comprises players who participate in all three formats, remained unchanged with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah retaining their INR 7 crore (USD 980,000 approximately) remuneration. The injured Hardik Pandya, who has only featured in T20Is since the World Cup, kept his Grade B contract.
These contracts are for the period from October 2019 to September 2020. The total number of retainers has decreased from 29 to 27. The selections for these contracts are determined by national selectors based on a blend of performance in the prior year and the roles players are anticipated to fulfill in the contract period. If someone outside of this list earns an India cap during the period, they become eligible for a Grade C contract. According to the BCCI regulations, a player must participate in a minimum of two matches to be eligible for a Grade C contract.
