PCB Announces Central Contracts for 2025-26

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revealed the list of central contracts for 30 male cricketers on Tuesday. Notably, no players were placed in the top Category A this year.

According to the PCB, the structure differs from previous years, with no Category A designation. Instead, the players are distributed equally across Categories B, C, and D, with ten players in each.

The pool of players has expanded to 30, compared to 27 in the previous year, introducing 12 fresh faces to the list.

Newcomers to the central contracts include Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufyan Moqim.

Promotions and Retentions

Several players have been promoted due to their outstanding performances last season. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have moved up from Category C to Category B.

Nine players have maintained their positions from the previous year. These include Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Category D).

Also retaining their spots are Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel in Category C, alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, who remains in Category B.

Omissions

Eight players who held contracts last year were not included in this year’s list.

Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan, all previously in Category D, did not receive contracts this year.

The contracts are effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

List of Centrally Contracted Players for 2025–26:

Category B:

Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Category C:

Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel.

Category D:

Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, Sufyan Moqim.