The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced fresh central contracts for the 2025–26 season, and with it, a quiet yet massive shift in how the team’s future is being shaped. Thirty players have been included this time, more than last year’s 27, but the biggest surprise is that there is no Category A at all. For years, Category A was reserved for Pakistan’s big guns in Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the PCB has left the slot empty.
Babar and Rizwan, who carried that distinction just last year, now find themselves in Category B. Both men remain central to Pakistan’s cricketing identity, but their demotion comes after the duo was dropped from Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad as well.
A new pool of players
The expanded list features 12 new faces, including Ahmed Daniyal, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris and Sufyan Moqim. It is a mix that highlights Pakistan’s intent to freshen up the squad with aggressive options across formats. Five names have earned promotions, among them Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf, rewarded for consistent performances in 2024–25.
Equally notable are the players who have missed out. Aamir Jamal, Kamran Ghulam and Usman Khan, among others, have slipped off the chart completely, underlining how unforgiving the competition has become. For every name demoted or dropped, another has risen, keeping the pool alive with hunger.
For Pakistan cricket followers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan represented the constants of the past five years. They opened together, anchored innings together, and often carried the batting on their shoulders. Their move from the top rung to Category B, coming just days after being omitted from the Asia Cup squad, suggests the start of a new chapter.
For the PCB, the message is deliberate. No one, not even the faces of the team, is untouchable. With the T20 World Cup in 2026 on the horizon, Pakistan is investing in strike-rate, adaptability and long-term squad depth.
Comparison of Pakistan Central Contracts (2024–25 vs 2025–26)
| Player | 2024–25 Category | 2025–26 Category | Status/Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | A | B | Demoted |
| Mohammad Rizwan | A | B | Demoted |
| Shaheen Afridi | B | B | Retained |
| Naseem Shah | B | C | Demoted |
| Shan Masood | B | D | Demoted |
| Abrar Ahmed | C | B | Promoted |
| Haris Rauf | C | B | Promoted |
| Saim Ayub | C | B | Promoted |
| Salman Ali Agha | C | B | Promoted |
| Shadab Khan | C | B | Promoted |
| Abdullah Shafique | C | C | Retained |
| Noman Ali | C | C | Retained |
| Sajid Khan | C | C | Retained |
| Saud Shakeel | C | C | Retained |
| Fakhar Zaman | – | B | New Entry |
| Hasan Ali | – | B | New Entry |
| Mohammad Haris | – | C | New Entry |
| Hasan Nawaz | – | C | New Entry |
| Faheem Ashraf | – | C | New Entry |
| Sahibzada Farhan | – | C | New Entry |
| Khurram Shahzad | D | D | Retained |
| Mohammad Abbas Afridi | D | D | Retained |
| Mohammad Wasim Jnr | D | D | Retained |
| Ahmed Daniyal | – | D | New Entry |
| Hussain Talat | – | D | New Entry |
| Khushdil Shah | – | D | New Entry |
| Mohammad Abbas | – | D | New Entry |
| Salman Mirza | – | D | New Entry |
| Sufyan Moqim | – | D | New Entry |
| Aamir Jamal | D | – | Dropped |
| Haseebullah | D | – | Dropped |
| Kamran Ghulam | D | – | Dropped |
| Mir Hamza | D | – | Dropped |
| Mohammad Ali | D | – | Dropped |
| Mohammad Hurraira | D | – | Dropped |
| Muhammad Irfan Khan | D | – | Dropped |
| Usman Khan | D | – | Dropped |
