Mumbai to introduce central contracts from next season

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) apex council on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) approved the introduction of Central Contracts for Mumbai cricketers, starting the next domestic season.

“To ensure long-term player development and well-being, the Apex Council has approved central contracts for players, reinforcing its commitment to providing structured support and financial security to emerging talent,” the MCA stated in a media release.

While the press release did not specify any further details, The Hindu understands that the central contracts will be introduced with the 2026-27 season and only senior cricketers will be considered initially. It will be interesting to see whether the MCA includes senior women cricketers in the contracted players’ list.

More security to core group

The MCA since the 2024-25 season has been doubling senior men cricketers’ match-fees by contributing as much as the BCCI match-fees. However, a contracted players’ structure will obviously lend more security to the core group of cricketers.

It remains to be seen whether the MCA can successfully implement central contracts over a long period. In the last two decades, a few associations including Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Punjab had introduced the system but the initiative fizzled out in a couple of seasons.

Right after he took over as BCCI president in 2019, former India captain Sourav Ganguly had announced his plans to get state associations to implement the central contracts. But he failed to convince any association to get it going.

The MCA apex council also decided to commence Dilip Vengsarkar Inter-College Tournament and a feeder T20 tournament for T20 Mumbai league franchises.

“Our vision is to create a robust pathway from college cricket to the highest levels of the game. Naming the Inter-College Tournament after Dilip Vengsarkar reflects the values of excellence and leadership that we want young cricketers to aspire to,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik stated.

“Central contracts are a step towards empowering players with stability and confidence, while the T20 scouting tournament will ensure that Mumbai continues to identify and nurture talent suited for the future of the game.”