LAHORE; Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan have been demoted from Category A to Category B in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) central contracts for the 2025–26 season. Shan Masood, who was in Category B last year, has been pushed further down to Category D.
No Player in Category A This Year
For the first time in years, the PCB has left Category A vacant. The new contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, cover 30 players, compared to 27 last season. The pool includes 12 fresh faces: 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.
Promotions, Retentions, and Exits
Five players — Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan — have been promoted from Category C to B due to consistent performances. Nine players, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, and Saud Shakeel, have retained their spots in the same categories.
However, eight cricketers failed to secure contracts this year, among them Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan.
Final Breakdown of Categories
- Category B: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
- Category C: Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel.
- Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood, Sufyan Moqim.
