He scored his maiden T20I hundred in fifth T20I against New Zealand.
The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the central contracts list for the 2025-26 season but there was a big name missing from the roster – Ishan Kishan. Despite amazing performances in domestic cricket and his return to the India team, it raises a question: Why is Ishan Kishan not in BCCI Central Contract 2025-26 list?
The BCCI recently updated its central contracts system, in which they explicitly removed the elite A+ category and reorganised players into A, B, and C groups based on performances and availability from the previous season.
The reason why Ishan Kishan is not in BCCI Central Contract 2025-26 involves factors like timing, availability, and the board’s changing selection approach. BCCI Central contracts are signed based on a player’s contributions during the last year. Unfortunately, Kishan didn’t play a single game for India last year, and as a result, this approach worked against him.
Since Kishan did not meet the eligibility criteria, he was left out. The BCCI indicated that he could be eligible again next year if he remains consistent and available.
During the 2025 calendar year, the evaluation period for the 2026 contracts, the wicketkeeper-batter did not play competitive cricket for India and was mostly absent from domestic red-ball matches. In December 2023, Ishan Kishan took a mental health break from cricket.
The decision did not go over well with the Indian team management and selectors. Two months later, Kishan was dropped from the BCCI central contract alongside Shreyas Iyer. Unlike some countries, like England or Australia, which often allow breaks for mental health, the Indian system has historically emphasised participation and continuity for centrally contracted players.
The BCCI directive is clear, stating that players who are not on national duty and injury-free will have to play domestic cricket, which also explains why Ishan Kishan is not in BCCI Central Contract 2025-26.
While Shreyas Iyer made a comeback to the India ODI squad, Kishan had endured a poor IPL season and didn’t play much of domestic cricket. Consequently, he was not considered for the 2024-25 contracts.
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Ironically, Kishan’s exclusion from the contracts list comes at a time when his performance on the field has significantly improved. After nearly two years without making an impact, the 27-year-old fought his way back into contention through strong domestic performances. His standout moment came in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025, where he led Jharkhand to their first title, finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, and had an impressive strike rate of 197.32.
This performance prompted the selectors to include him in the India T20 World Cup 2026 squad as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee dropped Shubman Gill and Jitesh Sharma. Though Kishan was named in the 15-member India T20 World Cup 2026 squad, he was the backup option for Sanju Samson, who has consistently played for India in T20I cricket since the T20 World Cup 2024. However, Sanju endured a poor five-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, while Ishan Kishan emerged as the standout batter amid Tilak Varma injury.
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