Ishan Kishan & Shreyas Iyer Likely to Lose Central Contracts - Reports

Iyer and Kishan not serious towards domestic cricket -

Away from international duty, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan continue to avoid the Ranji Trophy for various reasons. While Kishan has been 'training on his technique' ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, Iyer is said to be suffering from a slight back spasm problem. However, it appears that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is dissatisfied with Kishan and Iyer and will likely exclude them from the new central contracts list.

According to a report in the Times of India, both Iyer and Kishan are set to be dropped from the list of centrally contracted players for 2023-24. One of the grounds cited for this decision is their alleged absence from domestic cricket, despite the board's pleas and request.

Selectors have hinted about their exclusion -

The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, has almost finalised the list of centrally contracted players for the 2023-24 season too, which the BCCI will announce soon.

Kishan and Iyer are likely to be excluded from that list, as both haven't been playing domestic cricket despite the BCCI's diktat to do so," a source told the paper.

The source also quoted that Iyer was dropped out of the last three matches against England owing to his back injury.

Iyer was "excluded from India's squad for the last three Tests as a precautionary measure, after he complained of a back problem." "Patel's email to the BCCI was written after the second Test against England. Since then, a back problem has bothered Iyer," the source said. "Iyer was one of India's top-performing batsmen in the ODI World Cup in India last year. He won't lose the contract just because he missed the odd Ranji match."

As far as the 2022-23 central contract goes, Ishan Kishan was placed in the C category, while Shreyas Iyer was in B, earning Rs 1 crore and 3 crores respectively.