Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad set for Grade A in central contracts

Deepti Sharma has been rewarded for her impressive recent performances © Getty
Deepti Sharma and RajeshwariGayakwad are set for promotion in the central contracts for women's cricketers. For the 2021-22 season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to place the two players in Grade A.

Deepti Sharma, the 24-year all-rounder, has shown good form and merited promotion. Same way, Gayakwad (30) from Karnataka gets the top grade in the contracts list in which Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Poonam Yadav are also in Grade A with an entitlement of INR 50 lakh annual retainership. Grade B and Grade C players will be assured of INR 30 lakh and INR 10 lakh annually.

At the Wednesday's Apex Council meeting, the BCCI finalised 17 players for the annual contracts, with Sneh Rana (28) making it to the list with Grade C while Pooja Vastrakar, who was in Grade C last year, getting a promotion to the B category. Vastrakar has been consistently good for India as an allrounder and has particularly taken to the role of the finisher since making a comeback.

Veterans Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami retain their positions in Grade B but Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey, who were overlooked for the World Cup squad, have been downgraded to Grade C from B. Sneh Rana is a new entrant, earning Grade C on the basis of consistent performances since making a comeback last June following five years on the sidelines. Mansi Joshi and Radha Yadav, who were part of last year's 19-player contracts list, don't feature this time.

This is an important year for women's cricket with the 50-over World Cup starting in New Zealand on March 4. The BCCI is also contemplating starting women's IPL, which was discussed at the Governing Council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) recently. If all goes according to plan, the BCCI plans to start the women's IPL next year.

Women's Central Contracts:

Grade A (INR 50 lakh): Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Grade B (INR 30 lakh): Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Tanya Bhatia, Shafali Verma, Pooja Vastrakar

Grade C (INR 10 lakh): Poonam Raut, Shikha Pandey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Arundhati Reddy, Sneh Rana