MCA Awards Annual Contracts to 22 Mumbai Cricketers for 2026-27
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has awarded annual contracts to 22 cricketers—14 men and eight women—for the 2026-27 season. The decision was approved during the MCA Apex Council meeting held in Mumbai on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
The new contract system was introduced to provide financial security and recognition to domestic players who are not part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) central contracts or its list of targeted players.
The contracted players have been divided into three compensation tiers. Grade A players will receive an annual retainer of ₹12 lakh, Grade B players will earn ₹8 lakh, and Grade C players will receive ₹6 lakh.
In the men's division, Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani are the two players placed in Grade A. Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand, and Hardik Tamore have been assigned to Grade B. Grade C comprises eight players: Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil, Himanshu Singh, Jay Jain, Sumeir Zaveri, Atharva Bhosle, Manan Bhat, and Ayush Vartak.
Among the women cricketers, Humairaa Kaazi and Vrushali Bhagat have been awarded Grade A contracts, while Sanika Chalke has been placed in Grade B. Grade C features five players: Prakashika Naik, Zeal D’Mello, Fatima Jaffer, Sadhvi Sanjay, and Kashish Nirmal.
Alongside the contract allocations, the Apex Council approved the establishment of the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund to recognise the career of the former India and Mumbai captain, who retired from all formats of the game earlier this month. The fund, which received an initial contribution from former MCA president Sharad Pawar, will be dedicated to supporting grassroots cricketers and developing maidan cricket across the city.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik stated that Rahane’s journey from the grassroots to captaining India in Test cricket makes him an inspiration for young players, adding that the fund will help build opportunities for emerging talent. The association also plans to formally honour Rahane for his contributions to Mumbai and Indian cricket.
