The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reshaped its central contracts system for 2025-26 by removing Category A altogether, signaling a demand for higher performance levels from national players.
The one-year contracts, running from July 2025 to June 2026, have been distributed among 30 cricketers across Categories B, C, and D, with 10 players in each.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, long associated with Category A, have been reassigned to Category B. They will share the group with Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, and Salman Ali Agha.
Category C features Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Sohaibzada Farhan, Hassan Nawaz, and Noman Ali.
Category D includes Shan Masood, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Khurram Shahzad, and Sufyan Muqim.
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| B | Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha |
| C | Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sajid Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Sohaibzada Farhan, Hassan Nawaz, Noman Ali |
| D | Shan Masood, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Khurram Shahzad, Sufyan Muqim |