Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan In Dugout - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, August 19, the PCB announced the much-awaited central contracts for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan suffered a slump as they were demoted to Category B following underwhelming performances across formats.
Notably, Babar and Rizwan were the only two players who were part of Category 'A' in the 2024-2025 season, but were demoted because of poor outings in recent tours. Now, since two of Pakistan's senior-most cricketers have been demoted, the players are curious as to how much they will the players earn for the upcoming season.
Decoding Babar Azam And Mohammad Rizwan's Salaries
Currently, Category A players receive PKR 4.5 million per month, of which PKR 2.07 million is from the ICC share. Meanwhile, Category B players earn PKR 3 million, Category C players get PKR 1 million and Category D players receive PKR 750,000.
Thus, Babar and Rizwan will be earning PKR 3 million, which is equivalent to 9.28 lakh rupees. Previously, they were earning PKR 4.5 million per month, which is equivalent to 13.95 lakhs rupees. Thus, the two cricketers have dealt a setback of nearly 4.5 lakh rupees.
More Salary Deduction Expected
According to a report by Cricket Pakistan, the PCB is now contemplating the removal of the clause in player contracts which entitles the centrally contracted players to take home 3% of the revenue the board receives from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Thus, it is expected that if the 3% clause rule is removed, then not only Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, but the entire Pakistan squad will suffer as their salaries will see a significant dip.
The board views this bonus as unjustified and the upcoming Asia Cup contracts will likely be the last to include this provision.
