The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced men’s central contracts for the 2025–26 season, and for the first time in years, no player has been placed in the top Category A.
Last season’s only A-category players, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have both been moved down to Category B.
Big Changes in Categories
Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood has slipped further, from Category B to Category D.
The total number of contracted players has been increased from 27 to 30, with 10 players in each category (B, C, and D).
Fakhar Zaman has made a comeback, returning to Category B after missing out in 2024 due to disciplinary issues.
A PCB source said that performance was the main reason behind leaving Category A vacant. The board has decided that only exceptional and consistent performances will justify a spot in the top tier. Over the past year, both Pakistan as a team and several senior players had underwhelming results.
The PCB also highlighted this in its official release: “Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle.”
PCB unveils central contracts for 2025–26, no players in category 'A'
— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) August 19, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/doEdyP2xb0#PCB #PakistanCricket #CentralContracts pic.twitter.com/AlzHHOEUUP
Promotions and New Contracts
Five players earned promotions to Category B because of strong performances:
- Abrar Ahmed
- Saim Ayub
- Haris Rauf
- Salman Ali Agha
- Shadab Khan
Three players have been given central contracts for the first time:
- Sufyan Muqim
- Hasan Nawaz
- Mohammad Haris
Players Dropped
Some familiar names have missed out on contracts this year, including:
- Aamir Jamal
- Kamran Ghulam
- Mir Hamza
- Irfan Khan Niazi
- Usman Khan
Background on Central Contracts
This is the final year of the three-year central contract agreement signed between the PCB and the players. That deal gave cricketers their biggest-ever pay raise, along with a fixed share from the PCB’s ICC revenues. The structure of the agreement remains unchanged for this season — only the player categories have been adjusted.
The contracts officially run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Pakistan Men’s Central Contracts 2025–26
| Category B | Category C | Category D |
| Abrar Ahmed | Abdullah Shafique | Ahmed Daniyal |
| Babar Azam | Faheem Ashraf | Hussain Talat |
| Fakhar Zaman | Hasan Nawaz | Khurram Shahzad |
| Haris Rauf | Mohammad Haris | Khushdil Shah |
| Hasan Ali | Mohammad Nawaz | Mohammad Abbas |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Naseem Shah | Mohammad Abbas Afridi |
| Saim Ayub | Noman Ali | Mohammad Wasim Jnr |
| Salman Ali Agha | Sahibzada Farhan | Salman Mirza |
| Shadab Khan | Sajid Khan | Shan Masood |
| Shaheen Afridi | Saud Shakeel | Sufyan Muqim |
The absence of a Category A player is the headline of this year’s contracts. Senior stars like Babar and Rizwan have slipped, while younger players such as Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed have climbed up. With the player pool widened to 30, PCB seems focused on depth and future development.
Also read this: PCB Announces Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup and UAE T20 Series
