India captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma were among the biggest gainers as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced a new category ‘A+’ in the annual central contract on Wednesday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan and pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were also included in the A+ category, under which they will be given Rs 7 Crore for the period from October 2017 to September 2018.

The Board announced over 200 per cent hike in the Domestic Match fee structure as well.

“The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) for BCCI on Wednesday announced the Annual Player Contracts for the period from October 2017 to September 2018. The CoA was of the view that the performance and position of Indian Cricket need to be recognised with the fee structure comparable to the best in the world,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“The CoA recognises that the actual income of the BCCI fluctuates on an annual basis depending on the number of home matches Team India (Senior Men) plays. Hence, to insulate the player compensation, the CoA has sanctioned the creation of a Players Revenue / Compensation Equalization Fund” (PR/CEF) to which the BCCI will contribute approximately INR 125 Cr per annum from its surplus,” the statement read further.

Former India captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni was included in the A category, besides prominent Test players Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Wridhhiman Saha.

No women cricketer was given an A+ contract, though star players such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana remained in the A category.