Twitter Reactions: Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan ‘not considered’ in BCCI’s central contract restructure

Shreyas-Iyer-and-Ishan-Kishan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

In a surprising turn of events, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its central contracts for 2023-24, leaving netizens abuzz with reactions as both Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan found themselves missing from the list. In particular, the BCCI’s move came despite the duo having featured in India’s Cricket World Cup campaign in 2023.

Thirty players featured in the central contracts list, including India captain Rohit Sharma and other notable players Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja, who were all retained in the top tier A+ grade. Iyer and Kishan, meanwhile, have lost their contracts after missing the majority of the current domestic cricket season. Regarding retainer contracts, Ishan was in Grade C while Iyer was in Grade B in the 2022–2023 season.

Seasoned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was in the Grade A category along with prominent pacers Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, as well as KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya. Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the five players in Grade B. Meanwhile, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Mukesh Kumar, and Sanju Samson were among the fifteen cricketers in Grade C.

Iyer, who was known for his consistent performances, was an important part of India’s middle order in all formats of the game. He finished seventh overall and third in the run-scoring chart in the 2023 ODI World Cup after amassing 530 runs in 11 games, including two tons at an outstanding strike rate of 113.24 and an average of 66.25. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan, the dynamic wicketkeeper-batter, has drawn a lot of attention for his explosive performances in recent times, specifically in the T20I format. 

The exclusions have triggered a heated online debate, with fans expressing a mix of sentiments with some questioning the BCCI’s selection criteria, highlighting the importance of transparency in the decision-making process. However, it is understood that the decision came after the duo allegedly refused to participate in the 2024 Ranji Trophy.

Here is how  ‘X’ reacted after Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan missed out on BCCI central contracts:

No Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan in BCCI’s contract !
As expected…

But why would Hardik Pandya be getting grade A, while someone like Kuldeep Yadav (plays and performs in all 3 formats) get a B grade contract ?

Seems unfair for Kuldeep. https://t.co/2zv8RuYkIf

— Daksh Balhotra (@DakshBalhotra) February 28, 2024

Breaking – No bcci central contracts for shreyas iyer and ishan Kishan

— Yash Rathi (@YashRathi1845) February 28, 2024

Kuldeep Yadav should be in Grade A , Hardik Pandya should be in Grade B,
Rishabh Pant we know is good, but still could have been kept as part of Grade C he’s yet to make a comeback on the field.

And how the Mighty Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have fallen out of favour.

— 🇮🇳Kushagra (@BabaKushagra) February 28, 2024

It looks like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have being dropped from the centrally contracted players list of the @BCCI
There was defi some truth to the rumours about their commitments to test cricket. Kudos to the governing body for taking such a strong stance.

— Roahan Mitra (@rohansmitra) February 28, 2024

No ishan kishan no shreyas Iyer .bcci have come hard on them 👀👀👀 https://t.co/F4XoxuVB5O

— Saurabh Desai (@sau_desai) February 28, 2024

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their Annual Contracts 🤯🤯….!!!!

— Abhi⚒️ (@abhi_backup07) February 28, 2024

BCCI reportedly set to revoke central contracts of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for consistently missing Ranji Trophy matches. Selectors led by Ajit Agarkar finalizing new list of contracts, with Kishan and Iyer likely to be excluded. #Cricket #IshanKishan #BCCI pic.twitter.com/JRLTBmC8SW

— 90’s Cricket Lover (@90scricketlover) February 28, 2024

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have been excluded from the BCCI Central Contract. pic.twitter.com/zBqdjHmWyU

— CricSpot (@CricSpot_dc) February 28, 2024

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have not been included in the BCCI central contract list. 👇 https://t.co/swnPWrSqVv

— Biju VB (@Biju_Vaisyathil) February 28, 2024

✅🚨 SHOCKING NEWS:

BCCI have REMOVED Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from annual contracts, not even Grade C and also announced they were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations. pic.twitter.com/leDMfsdaTZ

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) February 28, 2024