Central Contracts announced for 2025-26 international season by PCB
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced central contracts for 30 male cricketers for the 2025–26 international season. These contracts will be in effect from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, reflecting the Board’s ongoing commitment to rewarding and supporting its national players.
For this cycle, the PCB has distributed players equally across Categories B, C, and D, with ten cricketers placed in each group. Interestingly, no player has been awarded a Category A contract this year.
In comparison to the previous season, when 27 players were given contracts, the pool has now expanded to 30, with 12 new faces joining the list. This expansion underlines the rise of exciting talent and the Board’s long-term strategy of strengthening squad depth and grooming players for the future.
The newcomers to the central contracts are: 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.
Meanwhile, five players have earned promotions for their strong performances last season. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all been elevated from Category C to Category B.
Nine cricketers have maintained their places in the same categories as last year. These include Abdullah Shafique (Category C); Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (all Category D); Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel (all Category C); along with Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B).
However, eight players have dropped out of the central contracts list this year: Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan – all previously in Category D.
Centrally contracted players for 2025–26:
Category B (10 players):
Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, 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, 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, Sufyan Moqim
