PCB Announces Central Contract Player List for 2025-26

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has released its central contract list for the 2025-26 international season. The announcement has brought some of the major changes, as star players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been demoted. Both cricketers, who previously held the top A category contracts, are now in the category B. Notably, this year, no Pakistani player has been given a place in the Category A, marking a significant shift in the contract structure.

PCB Contracted Player List for 2025-26

PCB has divided the contracts into four categories: A, B, C, and D. Each category includes 10 players, making it a total of 30 cricketers for the season. However, this year, none of the players have made it to the Category A contracts, and the earlier ones, including Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have also been demoted in the list.

Category B (10 players): Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Category C (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel

Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, and Sufyan Moqim

Eight players have missed out on contracts this year. They are: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan – all in Category (D).

End of an Era for Babar and Rizwan with new talent and emerging players

The PCB has rewarded several players for their recent performances. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all been promoted from Category C to Category B. Hasan Ali and Fakhar  Zaman have also returned to the list after showing consistent form. Some players have retained their positions from last season. Shaheen Afridi remains in Category B, while Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali continue in Category C. Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. have kept themselves in their spots in Category D.

The demotion of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has become a major talking point. Both have been central figures in Pakistan’s T20 and ODI squads in recent years, but their exclusion from Category A reflects PCB’s decision to restructure its contract system. With no players placed in the highest category, this development signals a possible end of an era for Pakistan’s most recognized batting duo.