5 Indian Players who missed annual contracts in the past

The annual contracts are really a big thing for the players in international cricket. There have been many players who have been dropped from this and have found it difficult to come back. When the list of contracted players is announced, the board has to make sure that they put in a careful thought about who to keep and who to let go. The players who have made the contract are guaranteed to get matches in international cricket, but the ones who have missed these contracts might need to take a long time to get back into the international scene.

We have already seen the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan miss out on their contracts recently. However, this was not really based on their performances but due to ignoring the directive by the Indian Cricket Board to feature in Domestic cricket. But there were some players, who were just unfortunate to miss out on these contracts. The case with Iyer and Kishan was that they were still up and coming, but most of the players we are talking about were established iconic players in those times.

So, here’s a look at some big Indian players who have missed out on the Board’s annual contract:

5. Mayank Agarwal

There was a time when Mayank Agarwal was the established opener along with Rohit Sharma in Test matches. Agarwal also had some great performances in 2019 and 2020. The Karnataka player, however, after being included in the contract for the 2021-2022 cycle, missed the annual contract following it. Agarwal last played a Test match against Sri Lanka in Bangalore in 2022. He is not seen as part of the setup anymore with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rising through the ranks.

4. Shikhar Dhawan

Back in 2013, Shikhar Dhawan was one of the best openers for the Indian Team. Dhawan had proven his worth in the 2013 Champions Trophy where he was also the man of the series. From there he was an established Indian opener and continued to feature in Major Trophies. Unfortunately, despite his great performances in the past, Dhawan was not included in the 2023-2024 contract. With the young players in the set-up, it also seems the international return for the 38-year-old southpaw looks really tough right now.

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

There was a time when Bhuvneshwar Kumar was clearly one of the best pacers in the Indian setup. The bowler known to have the ability to swing the ball both ways, made it tough for the batters to get going in the powerplay. Bhuvi was the go-to bowler for India and even featured in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Bhuvneshwar eventually missed out on a lot of games due to injury and was not included in the 2022-23 contract as well. It is safe to say that the chances of his comeback seem unlikely with some young fast bowlers in the mix.

2. Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane was one of the best overseas players in the longest format for India. His ability to play pacers even in overcast conditions made him a solid number 5 batter who could make crucial runs in the middle. The 2021 Border Gavaskar Trophy was one of the main highlights of his career. Unfortunately, due to a string of low scores, Rahane missed out on the Annual contract which was announced on March 2023. He did make a great comeback in the WTC, but after that, he hasn’t been part of the team. His poor form in the Ranji Trophy is not helping his case as well.

1. MS Dhoni

Who would have thought that MS Dhoni would be excluded from the contract as well? The last time we saw the legendary wicketkeeper batter was in the 2019 World Cup. However, the story is different here, since the former 2011 World Cup-winning skipper had retired from international cricket before the contract was announced. This was also the time the COVID-19 19 was going on as well. All Dhoni did was go on social media and confirm his retirement without any drama or wish to play one farewell game. There were talks about him featuring in the 2022 T20 World Cup before, but the decision to retire came out of nowhere and the year 2019 would be the last time we see Mahi finally give up the blue jersey.