Pakistan is one of the most passionate cricket-playing countries. And why not? The country has produced many legends, from Imran Khan to Wasim Akram to modern-day stars, like Babar Azam.
What separates them from the rest is their dedication to perform at every level. The better they perform, the more glory their country receives.
And to reward such top performers, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) offers lucrative central contracts and salaries. Here you can look at the types of contracts and salaries offered to Pakistan cricket players.
Pakistan Cricket Players Central Contract List 2025-26
The PCB handed out central contracts to 30 players for the 2025-26 season. All these players have been offered contracts in three categories. This contract cycle runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Usually, the PCB has four contract categories – A, B, C, and D. But the board hasn’t contracted any player in category A. So the other three categories feature 10 players each.
Of the 30 players, nine retained their previous contracts, five earned promotion, and three faced demotion. The other 13 players received their new contracts.
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Who earned the promotion?
The PCB awarded five players with promotion for their stellar performances in the last season.
So they moved Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, and Shadab Khan from category C to B.
Who faced the demotion?
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who were in category A last season, have been demoted to category B.
Shan Masood is the other player who faced demotion, from category B to D.
Who are the newly contracted players?
Although 13 players received new contracts, 12 of them are fresh faces on the list. Fakhar Zaman, one of the senior players, returns to the list after missing out last season.
Here are the new players with contracts:
- Fakhar Zaman
- Hasan Ali
- Faheem Ashraf
- Hasan Nawaz
- Mohammad Haris
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Hussain Talat
- Khurram Shahzad
- Khushdil Shah
- Mohammad Abbas
- Salman Mirza
- Sufyan Muqim
Here are all of Pakistan contracted cricketers, along with their categories:
| Player | Contract Category | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Abrar Ahmed | Category B | Promoted from C to B |
| Babar Azam | Category B | Demoted from A to B |
| Fakhar Zaman | Category B | New Contract |
| Haris Rauf | Category B | Promoted from C to B |
| Hasan Ali | Category B | New Contract |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Category B | Demoted from A to B |
| Saim Ayub | Category B | Promoted from C to B |
| Salman Ali Agha | Category B | Promoted from C to B |
| Shadab Khan | Category B | Promoted from C to B |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | Category B | Retained |
| Abdullah Shafique | Category C | Retained |
| Faheem Ashraf | Category C | New Contract |
| Hasan Nawaz | Category C | New Contract |
| Mohammad Haris | Category C | New Contract |
| Mohammad Nawaz | Category C | New Contract |
| Naseem Shah | Category C | Demoted from B to C |
| Noman Ali | Category C | Retained |
| Sahibzada Farhan | Category C | New Contract |
| Sajid Khan | Category C | Retained |
| Saud Shakeel | Category C | Retained |
| Abbas Afridi | Category D | Retained |
| Ahmed Daniyal | Category D | New Contract |
| Hussain Talat | Category D | New Contract |
| Khurram Shahzad | Category D | Retained |
| Khushdil Shah | Category D | New Contract |
| Mohammad Abbas | Category D | New Contract |
| Mohammad Wasim | Category D | Retained |
| Salman Mirza | Category D | New Contract |
| Shan Masood | Category D | Demoted from B to D |
| Sufyan Muqim | Category D | New Contract |
Now, let’s see the annual salaries offered to Pakistan cricket players.
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Pakistan Cricket Players’ Annual Salary
Since the PCB offers contracts under four categories, players in each category earn different salaries. Category A commands the highest salary, followed by categories B, C, and D.
Here’s the category-wise salary offered to Pakistan cricketers:
| Category | Monthly Salary (in PKR) | Annual Salary (in PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Category A | 45 lakh (US$15,900 approx.) | 5.4 crore (US$190,800 approx.) |
| Category B | 30 lakh (US$10,000 approx.) | 3.6 crore (US$120,000 approx.) |
| Category C | 15 lakh (US$5,300 approx.) | 1.8 crore (US$63,600 approx.) |
| Category D | 7.5 lakh (US$2,650 approx.) | 90 lakh (US$31,800 approx.) |
The PCB also pays match fees to players for playing each Test, ODI, and T20I match.
Here are the match fees for every format:
| Format | Match Fee Per Match (in PKR) |
|---|---|
| Test | 12 lakh (US$4,358 approx.) |
| ODI | 6.44 lakh (US$2,247 approx.) |
| T20I | 4.18 lakh (US$1,459 approx.) |
