The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced central contracts for the 2025-26 season, with no player qualifying for the top tier, and Category A has been abolished this year. 

 

According to the PCB, 30 players have been awarded contracts, compared to 27 last year. The contracts will run from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Players have been divided equally into three categories, B, C, and D, with 10 players in each.

 

12 new names have been included this year: Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufiyan Muqeem.

 

Nine players managed to retain their previous categories, while eight missed out on contracts altogether.

 

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

 

Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Sahibzada Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, Nauman Ali.

 

Category D: Shan Masood, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Khurram Shehzad, Sufiyan Muqeem.

 

Last year, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were part of category A, but with its removal, the top category no longer exists. Some notable shifts include pacer Naseem Shah moving from category B to C, and Test captain Shan Masood dropping from B to D. Meanwhile, opener Fakhar Zaman has been promoted back into category B.