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.
Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani are the two men in Grade A, while Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand and Hardik Tamore have been placed in Grade B.
Eight players, including Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil and Himanshu Singh, form the Grade C list.
Among the women, Humairaa Kaazi and Vrushali Bhagat are the two Grade A players, while Sanika Chalke has been placed in Grade B. Five others, including Prakashika Naik and Fatima Jaffer are the Grade C players.
The MCA had announced earlier this year that it would initiate a player contract system for those outside the BCCI’s central contract and targeted-player structures. The move is aimed at providing greater recognition and financial security to players representing Mumbai.
The Apex Council also approved the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund in recognition of the former Mumbai captain’s journey from grassroots cricket to leading India in Test cricket. According to an MCA statement, the fund has received a contribution from former MCA president Sharad Pawar and will be used to support grassroots cricketers and the development of maidan cricket.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik said Rahane’s journey and achievements made him “an inspiration for young cricketers” and that the scholarship fund would help create greater opportunities at the grassroots. The Association also proposes to honour Rahane for his contribution to Mumbai and Indian cricket.
List of contracted cricketers for 2026-27
Men:
Grade A: Siddhesh Lad, Shams Mulani.
Grade B: Mohit Avasthi, Aakash Anand, Hardik Tamore
Grade C: Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil, Himanshu Singh, Jay Jain, Sumeir
Zaveri, Atharva Bhosle, Manan Bhat, Ayush Vartak.
Women:
Grade A: Humairaa Kaazi, Vrushali Bhagat.
Grade B: Sanika Chalke.
Grade C: Prakashika Naik, Zeal D’Mello, Fatima Jaffer, Sadhvi Sanjay, Kashish Nirmal.
Published – August 28, 2026 05:44 am IST
