MS Dhoni has biggest impact on 2021 BCCI central contracts list; here is how

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the central contract list for the period of October 2020 to September 2021. According to the new BCCI contracts list 2021, the players receiving a Grade A+ contract will receive an annual salary of ₹7 crore whereas the players falling in the category of Grade A, Grade B and Grade C will pocket ₹5 crore, ₹3 crore and ₹1 crore respectively. Virat Kohli, alongside his limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, are the only three players of Team India to bag an A+ contract

How MS Dhoni's retirement affected Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav's India careers

Notably, India's premier spinners in the limited-overs formats, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been demoted in the BCCI contracts list 2021. Chahal and Kuldeep have been relegated to Grade C which will see the spin twins earning ₹1 crore annually. Previously, in the BCCI contract list for the period from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2020, Chahal was placed in Grade B where he earned ₹3 crore annually.

On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav, who was put in Grade A, received ₹5 crore per year. One of the major reasons behind Chahal and Kuldeep's demotion could be former Indian captain MS Dhoni. The spin duo's performances with and without Dhoni are a clear indication of how instrumental the Indian veteran was in their success.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav stats with MS Dhoni

Chahal has taken 81 wickets in 46 ODIs played with Dhoni at an average of 25.32 and an economy rate of 4.92. Kuldeep also has astonishing numbers with Dhoni behind the stumps. With MS Dhoni, the left-arm spinner bagged a total of 91 wickets in 47 ODIs at an average of 22.53 and an economy rate of 4.87.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav stats without MS Dhoni

After MS Dhoni's retirement from international cricket, Chahal and Kuldeep's performances have dipped massively which has resulted in their exclusion from India's playing XI. Chahal has grabbed just 11 wickets in 8 ODIs without Dhoni at an average of 41.82 and an economy rate of 6.80.  Kuldeep played 16 ODIs without Dhoni where he could pick only 14 scalps at an average of 61.71 and an economy rate of 6.22.

Yuzvendra Chahal IPL 2021

The Yuzvendra Chahal IPL 2021 stint hasn't got off to a desirable start. While RCB have won the first two games, Chahal has gone wicketless in both. The leggie leaked 41 runs in his four overs against Mumbai and followed it up by giving away 29 runs against SRH. Chahal would look to get back into his old rhythm and help RCB win their maiden IPL trophy.

Kuldeep Yadav IPL 2021

Kuldeep, who has fallen out of favour from the Indian team, once again finds himself out of the reckoning from the KKR side as well. The 26-year old didn't find a place in KKR's playing XI in the first two games. With Varun Chakravarthy and Harbhajan Singh performing well for KKR, Kuldeep will find it difficult to break into the side. However, if an opportunity comes, the leg-spinner will have to grab it with both hands.

IMAGE SOURCE: BCCI