Here's why T Natarajan was not included in the list of players getting BCCI central contract

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently had released the annual contract list for its players and there were some new faces on the list. 

Grade A+ - where the players earn 7 crores annually - had three players namely Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. Similarly, the other cricketers earned spots in Grade A, B and C categories depending on the formats they play. The salary for Grade A is 5 crore, while the same figure for B and C is 3 crores and 1 crore, respectively. 

While Mohammad Siraj and Shubman Gill made their way in the list and players like Hardik Pandya, received a promotion from Grade B to Grade A, two cricketers namely Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav lost their contracts. 

However, fans were confused as to why T Natarajan's name was not mentioned in the list.

T Natarajan did not meet BCCI central contract criteria:

The reason was that he was not eligible and according to the rules of BCCI, a player needs to play a minimum of three Tests or seven ODIs to be eligible for a contract. As for T20I, Indian cricketers with 10 caps also become eligible for central contracts. 

So far, T Natarajan has represented Team India in only two ODIs, one Test and four T20Is and hence, he did not meet the criteria of any three formats. 

T Natarajan, however, would most definitely get more matches in the upcoming season and would be eligible for the central contract. 

Currently, the bowler is part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 and represents Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The side has not yet started off their campaign on a winning note and lost both their matches against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).