Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) The 2025–26 has unveiled its men’s central contract list, providing contracts to 30 male cricketers for the international season. Effective from July 1, 2025, reflect a major reshuffle by the new contract board, given the team’s disappointing performance. The aim of the amendment is to reward the recent form and create a more performance-driven environment. In this year’s roster, every ten players are placed in B, C, and D. In particular, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle.
In a significant development, PCB has rewarded five standout artists with well -worthy promotion in the latest central contracts. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Sam Ayub, Salman Ali AgaAnd Shadab Khan All categories C to Category B have moved, which reflect their stability and value to the national side compared to the previous year. These campaigns highlight the emergence of major faces in Pakistan cricket, who have not only given a strong performance in the recent series, but have also shown the nature to handle the pressure at the international level.
At the same time, PCB has retained many players in its current categories. Shaheen Shah Afridi Continuing in Category B, reflects his standing as Spearhead of Pakistan’s bowling attack. During this time, Abdullah Shafiq, Saud Shakeel, Noman Ali, And Sajid Khan Stay in category C, highlighting his consistent roles in the red-ball setup. Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Wasim Jr., And Mohammad Abbas Afridi Stay in category D, ensuring a balanced pool of emerging and established talent.
Babur Azam and Mohammad Rizwan demoted in annual contracts
In a surprisingly expected shake-up, PCB has also done remarkable demotations in central contracts. Babar Azam And Mohammad RizwanOnce Pakistan Cricket’s Konestone has been transferred from Category A to Category B, which is after an expanded run of poor form. His omission from the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 and the UAE T20i-series has further exposed its struggles, marking a low point in his career. With this change, A category is empty for 2025–26 season.
Also read: Fans react as Pakistan from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan Asia Cup 2025 Squad
Here is a complete list of contracted players for the 2025-26 season:
Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar AzamFakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Sam Ayub, Salman Ali Aga, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Nasim Shah, Naman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel
Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniil, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Salman Mirza, Shaan Masood and Sufayan Makim
Also read: Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad predicted the winner of IND vs Pak Clash and Asia Cup 2025
