PCB unveils new central contracts, Babar and Rizwan dropped from Category A – SUCH TV

Two senior cricketers, Mohammad Rizwan and former captain Babar Azam, who were previously placed in Category A, have been moved down to Category B in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) central contracts for the 2025–26 season.

Shan Masood, who was earlier in Category B, has been relegated further to Category D.

In its announcement on Tuesday, the PCB confirmed that 30 players have been granted central contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

This time, ten players each have been slotted into Categories B, C, and D, while notably, no player has been included in Category A.

The new roster is larger than last year’s list of 27 contracted players, with 12 fresh names making the cut: 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 due to their performances over the past year Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan, who have all moved from Category C to B.

Nine others have retained their spots in the same categories, including Abdullah Shafique, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Eight players have missed out this year. Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan and Usman Khan all previously in Category D have not been offered contracts.

The final list for 2025–26 places Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in Category B.

Category C includes Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel.

Category D comprises Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim.