PCB increases salaries for Category C, D players under new central contracts

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has increased the monthly salaries of players in Categories C and D under the newly announced central contracts for the 2025–26 season, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

According to details, cricketers in Category C will now earn PKR 2.5 million per month, up from PKR 2 million after an increment of PKR 500,000. Similarly, players placed in Category D will receive PKR 1.5 million per month, an increase of PKR 300,000 from the previous PKR 1.2 million.

However, the PCB has decided not to revise the salaries of Category B players, leaving them without any pay raise.

Earlier today, PCB announced contracts for 30 men’s players for the new season, with no cricketer selected in Category A. Instead, the roster has been divided equally across Categories B, C, and D, with 10 players in each.

The 2025–26 list is bigger compared to last year’s 27 contracted players, with 12 new entrants making their way into the setup; Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Mirza, and Sufiyan Muqeem.

Meanwhile, five players earned promotions based on their recent performances. Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all moved up from Category C to Category B.

Nine cricketers retained their previous categories, including Abdullah Shafique (Category C); Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Category D); Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Saud Shakeel (Category C); and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who continues in Category B.

On the other hand, eight players have been dropped from the new contracts. Aamer Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan — all part of Category D last year — were left out this time.

The new contracts, effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, reflect PCB’s focus on squad depth and rewarding consistent performers.

The list of centrally contracted players for the 2025–26 season:

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

Category D: Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufiyan Muqeem.