Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad gets Grade-A promotion

Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad are all set for promotion in the central contracts for women’s cricketers. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to add two players in the Grade A.

What led Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad to the promotion?

Deepti Sharma, the 24-year all-rounder has impressed the BCCI by showing her top form to get listed for the promotion. Similarly, Rajeshwari Gayakwad who is of 30 years hailing from Karnataka gets the top grade in the contract list. The lists consist of other prominent figures such as Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Poonam Yadav. The players in Grade A get INR 50 Lakh annual retention. Grade B and C players will be assured of INR 30 lakh and INR 10 lakh annually.

BCCI’s Finalization of annual contracts

At the meeting on Wednesday, the apex council finalized 17 players for the annual contracts, with Sneh Rana making it to the list with Grade C. Meanwhile, Pooja Vastrakar, who was in Grade C last year, got promoted to the B category. Vastrakar’s promotion was on the basis of her consistency as an all-rounder.

Apart from Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad, veterans Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami retain their positions in Grade B. Mansi Joshi and Radha Yadav, who were part of the last year’s contract list, did not feature this time.

Meanwhile, Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad getting promoted, it also an important year for Indian Women’s cricket because of the World Cup that is set to commence on March 4. The BCCI is also contemplating starting IPL for women.