LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has increased the monthly salaries of players in categories C and D under the newly announced 2025–26 central contracts, sources confirmed on Tuesday.
According to details, the monthly remuneration of Category C players has been increased by PKR 500,000, taking their salaries from PKR 2 million to PKR 2.5 million.
Meanwhile, cricketers in Category D will now earn PKR 1.5 million per month, up from PKR 1.2 million, marking a raise of PKR 300,000.
However, Category B players have not received any salary increase, sources added.
Key Highlights of the 2025–26 Central Contracts
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No A-Category players this year: Unlike previous years, the PCB has scrapped the A-category altogether.
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30 players awarded contracts: Compared to 27 last year, the pool has expanded to 30 players.
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Distribution: 10 players each have been slotted into Categories B, C, and D.
New Players Added
The list includes 12 new entrants who received contracts for the first time:
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Ahmed Daniyal
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Faheem Ashraf
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Hasan Ali
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Hasan Nawaz
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Hussain Talat
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Khushdil Shah
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Mohammad Abbas
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Mohammad Haris
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Mohammad Nawaz
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Sahibzada Farhan
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Salman Mirza
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Sufyan Moqim
Players Promoted
On the back of strong recent performances, five players have been promoted from Category C to Category B:
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Abrar Ahmed
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Haris Rauf
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Saim Ayub
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Salman Ali Agha
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Shadab Khan
Players Retained
Several cricketers have retained their contracts, including:
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Abdullah Shafique (Category C)
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Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel (Category C)
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Shaheen Shah Afridi (Category B)
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Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Category D)
Players Dropped from Contracts
Notably, eight players who were part of last year’s contracts have missed out this time around. They include:
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Aamir Jamal
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Haseebullah
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Kamran Ghulam
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Mir Hamza
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Mohammad Ali
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Mohammad Huraira
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Muhammad Irfan Khan
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Usman Khan
Conclusion
The PCB’s decision to raise the salaries of Category C and D players while leaving Category B unchanged has already sparked discussions in the cricket community. With no players in A-category, and several fresh names entering the pool, the 2025–26 central contracts mark a significant restructuring of Pakistan cricket’s pay scale and hierarchy.