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Babar, Rizwan Demoted To Join Shaheen Afridi As PCB Announces Central Contracts For 2025-26

Rajgeeta Yadav

Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi [Source: AFP]Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi [Source: AFP]

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its new central contracts for the 2025–26 season, and the changes are quite significant. To begin with, the biggest surprise is that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been demoted from Category A to Category B. Previously, they were the only two players in Category A; however, this year, no player has been placed in the top category at all.

Instead, the PCB has divided the contracts across three categories, B, C, and D,  with 10 players in each, making a total of 30 cricketers.

Pakistan Players Who Have Been Awared For Their Stellar Performances

Some players have been rewarded for their recent strong performances. Notably, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan have all moved up from Category C to Category B.

Meanwhile, several players have managed to retain their places in the same categories as last year. These include Shaheen Afridi (Category B) as well as Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali (Category C). Similarly, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. remain in Category D.

On the other hand, eight players have lost their contracts this year. They are Aamir Jamal, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Irfan Khan, and Usman Khan.

At the same time, Hasan Ali and Fakhar Zaman have made their way back into the contracts list thanks to their recent good form.

Full List Of This Year’s Centrally Contacted Players:

Category B (10 players): 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 (10 players): Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Saud Shakeel

Category D (10 players): Ahmed Daniyal, Hussain Talat, Khurram Shahzad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Salman Mirza, Shan Masood and Sufyan Moqim