The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the list of central contracts for male cricketers, awarding contracts to 30 players for the 2025-26 season, which will be effective from the 1st of July 2025, to June 30, 2026, for all international cricket scheduled within the preferred window of January 1 to December 31.

In a significant development, no player has been placed in Category A, while 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have been downgraded to Category B, a move that has drawn widespread criticism from the cricket community.

“Compared to last year’s list of 27 contracted players, the PCB has expanded the pool to 30, including 12 fresh additions, highlighting the emergence of promising new talent and the board’s strategic focus on squad depth and future development,” PCB said.

The new players 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.

Five players have been promoted by PCB on the Basis of their performances. They are: Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Shadab Khan, all promoted from C to B category.

Additionally, nine players have kept their positions in the same categories. They are: Abdullah Shafique (Category C), Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, all in Category D, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, all in Category C and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B).

Eight players have missed out on contracts this year as noted by PCB, namely Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan — all in Category (D).

List of this year’s centrally contacted players:

Category A (no players): Vacant

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

The PCB’s decision to forgo a Category A entirely and downgrade its top-tier players reflects a bold and controversial shift in policy. As the 2025-26 season approaches with a busy calendar ahead, the cricketing world now watches to see how this change will influence squad cohesion and on-field output.