MCA Finalises 2026-27 Equal Pay Contracts For Men And Women, Launches Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund

The Mumbai Cricket Association finalised the 2026-2027 player contracts and announced the establishment of the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund on Thursday, August 27, 2026. The dual move establishes the MCA as the first state cricket association in India to implement a central contract system with equal pay for men and women.

The scholarship fund arrives shortly after Ajinkya Rahane retired in July 2026. The former India captain notably led Mumbai to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title in the 2023-2024 season. The MCA will enforce the new contracts for the upcoming season, aiming to strengthen grassroots structures.

Honoring Rahane's Legacy

The new scholarship aims to back emerging talent while recognising the former captain's contributions.

"The Apex Council approved the establishment of the Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, in recognition of the distinguished cricketing journey of Ajinkya Rahane — from Mumbai’s grassroots cricket to representing India and leading the Indian Test team." The MCA stated.

Former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar made a valuable contribution to the scholarship fund.

"The Ajinkya Rahane Scholarship Fund, with the valuable contribution of Hon’ble Sharad Pawar Saheb, will support grassroots cricketers and the development of our Maidans. We hope this initiative will provide young players with greater opportunities to pursue their dreams and strengthen the proud cricketing culture of Mumbai." MCA President Ajinkya Naik said.

Equal Pay Contracts

The MCA first announced the introduction of a player contract system in April 2026. It was initially projected to cover around 15 to 20 domestic cricketers, but upon the system's formal announcement, the association declared it would cover "all its players" who met strict eligibility and fitness standards.

"The Apex Council approved and finalised the list of players to be included under the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Player Contract System, as recommended by the selectors." The state governing body informed.

Pay is equal across three tiers. Grade A players will receive Rs 12 lakh annually, while Grade B and Grade C players will earn Rs 8 lakh and Rs 6 lakh respectively. Retainer values scale with a player's experience and their active formats for Mumbai, according to previous reports.

Strict rules govern eligibility. The MCA limits these retainers to cricketers who did not play for the national team or sign with any franchise over the last two seasons, financialexpress.com reported. This clause excludes prominent Mumbai players including Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur.

Finalized Player Lists

The MCA released the full roster of players selected for the inaugural retainership. A final list of 21 players (13 men and eight women) was officially approved as of August 2026.

Men's Grade A includes Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani. Men's Grade B features Mohit Awasthi, Aakash Anand and Hardik Tamore.

Men's Grade C includes Suved Parkar, Sairaj Patil, Himanshu Singh, Jay Jain, Sumeir Zaveri, Atharva Bhosle, Manan Bhat and Ayush Vartak.

Women's Grade A includes Humaira Kazi and Vrushali Bhagat. Women's Grade B includes Sanika Chalke.

Women's Grade C includes Prakashika Naik, Zeal D’Mello, Fatima Jaffer, Sadhvi Sanjay and Kashish Nirmal.