22 cricketers awarded annual contracts by Mumbai Cricket Association
The Mumbai Cricket Association has introduced annual contracts for 22 cricketers to provide financial security to players not covered by the national board. Additionally, the association established the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund to support grassroots cricket development.
Why it matters
This initiative represents a significant effort to professionalize regional cricket and provide better career stability for domestic athletes in India.
Twenty-two cricketers — 14 male and eight female — have been awarded annual contracts by the Mumbai Cricket Association. The MCA Apex Council has also constituted the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, in a bid to recognise the distinguished career of the former India captain who retired from all formats earlier this month.
The decisions were taken at the Apex Council meeting on Thursday (August 27, 2026), with the player contract system being introduced to provide financial support to Mumbai cricketers who are not centrally contracted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or part of its list of targeted players.
The contracted players have been divided into three grades, with Grade A players receiving ₹12 lakh annually, Grade B ₹8 lakh and Grade C ₹6 lakh.
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