The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the men’s domestic cricket contracts for the 2025–26 season, awarding retainers to 157 players. The contracts will run from August 2025 to July 2026.
For the new season, the PCB has expanded the domestic contract categories from three to four, while also increasing the number of players from 131 last year to 157. The four categories are divided as follows: 30 players in Category DC1, 55 in DC2, 51 in DC3, and 21 in DC4.
According to the PCB, the retainers were handed to the best performers across all domestic tournaments during the 2024–25 season. The selection process was based on a detailed evaluation of performances in red and white-ball competitions.
The ongoing 2025–26 domestic season began on August 29 with the 12-team Hanif Mohammad Trophy. The calendar includes two first-class and three non-first-class red-ball tournaments, a List A event, and a two-phase National T20 Cup, alongside the 11th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Category Breakdown
Domestic Category 1 (30 Players)
Abid Ali (Lahore), Aamir Jamal (Lahore), Akif Javed (FATA), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Faisal Akram (Multan), Haseebullah (Quetta), Iftikhar Ahmed (Peshawar), Imam-ul-Haq (Lahore), Jahandad Khan (Rawalpindi), Kamran Ghulam (Abbottabad), Kashif Bhatti (Hyderabad), Khalid Usman (Abbottabad), Mir Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Ali (Sialkot), Mohammad Hasnain (Hyderabad), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Mohammad Ismail (Multan), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Faisalabad), Muhammad Shahzad (Multan), Mushtaq Ahmed (Larkana), Niaz Khan (Peshawar), Nisar Ahmed (Lahore), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Tayyab Tahir (Lahore), Umar Amin (Rawalpindi), Umar Siddiq (Lahore), Usman Khan (Karachi), Usman Tariq (Peshawar), Waqar Hussain (Multan), and Zahid Mehmood (Larkana).
Domestic Category 2 (55 Players)
Abdul Faseeh (Rawalpindi), Abdul Samad (Faisalabad), Ahmed Bashir (Lahore), Ahmed Safi Abdullah (Faisalabad), Ali Raza (Sialkot), Ali Zaryab (Lahore), Arafat Minhas (Multan), Arif Yaqoob (Karachi), Arshadullah (FATA), Asif Afridi (FATA), Ayaz Tasawwar (Sialkot), Danish Aziz (Karachi), Haider Ali (Rawalpindi), Hassan Raza (AJK), Imran Butt (Lahore), Jalat Khan (Quetta), Kashif Ali (Rawalpindi), Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (Karachi), Maaz Sadaqat (Peshawar), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Mehran Sanwal (Bahawalpur), Mirza Tahir Baig (Sialkot), Mohsin Riaz (Sialkot), Mohammad Amir Khan (Peshawar), Mohammad Arif (Abbottabad), Mohammad Faizan (Faisalabad), Mohammad Imran Jnr (Peshawar), Mohammad Naeem (FATA), Mohammad Rameez Jnr (Lahore), Mohammad Salman (Lahore), Mohammad Suleman (Hyderabad), Mubasir Khan (Rawalpindi), Muhammad Awais Zafar (Faisalabad), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (Karachi), Muhammad Imran (Faisalabad), Musa Khan (Islamabad), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Rameez Aziz (Karachi), Rohail Nazir (Islamabad), Saad Baig (Karachi), Saad Khan (Hyderabad), Saad Masood (Rawalpindi), Saifullah Bangash (Karachi), Sameen Gul (FATA), Shahid Aziz (FATA), Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad), Sharoon Siraj (Multan), Sirajuddin (FATA), Ubaid Shah (Lahore), Usama Mir (Sialkot), Waqar Ahmed (Peshawar), Waseem Akram Jnr (Multan), Yasir Khan (Rawalpindi), and Zaman Khan (AJK).
Domestic Category 3 (51 Players)
Aamer Yamin (Multan), Abbas Ali (Peshawar), Abdullah Fazal (Karachi), Abdur Rehman (Sialkot), Abdul Rehman Muzammil (Multan), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Afaq Afridi (FATA), Afaq Ahmed (Abbottabad), Adil Amin (Peshawar), Aftab Khan (Karachi), Ali Hamza Wasim (Bahawalpur), Ali Husnain (Rawalpindi), Ali Usman (Multan), Amad Butt (Sialkot), Arsal Sheikh (Islamabad), Asad Raza (Faisalabad), Asif Ali (Faisalabad), Bilawal Bhatti (Sialkot), Fawad Alam (Karachi), Hasnain Nadeem (AJK), Imran Dogar (Lahore), Israr Hussain (Abbottabad), Jahanzaib Sultan (Karachi), Jawad Ali (Hyderabad), Kamran Afzal (Lahore), Mohsin Khan (Peshawar), Mohammad Adil (Abbottabad), Mohammad Amir Barki (Peshawar), Mohammad Asghar (Karachi), Mohammad Azab (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Huzaifa (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (FATA), Mohammad Taha (Karachi), Mohammad Umar (Karachi), Mohammad Zeeshan (Faisalabad), Muhammad Akhlaq (Lahore), Naqeebullah (Quetta), Nabi Gul (Peshawar), Naseerullah Khan (Islamabad), Obaid Shahid (Lahore), Raja Hamza Waheed (Islamabad), Rizwan Mehmood (Hyderabad), Saad Nasim (Lahore), Salman Irshad (AJK), Saqib Khan (Karachi), Shahab Khan (Abbottabad), Shahzaib Khan (Abbottabad), Shehzad Gul (Faisalabad), Taimur Khan (Rawalpindi), and Tahir Hussain (Multan).
Domestic Category 4 (21 Players)
Aashar Mehmood (Sialkot), Abu Huraira (Dera Murad Jamali), Aqib Khan (Abbottabad), Aqib Liaqat (AJK), Aqib Shah (Rawalpindi), Ali Shan (Faisalabad), Bismillah Khan (Quetta), Faizan Saleem (AJK), Gulfam Aziz (Bahawalpur), Imran Rafiq (Multan), Mansoor Ali (Abbottabad), Mohammad Ali Taj (Islamabad), Mohammad Ammar (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Faizan Jnr (Peshawar), Mohammad Irfan (Lahore), Muhammad Hammad Khan (Islamabad), Sajjad Ali Hashmi (Abbottabad), Sharjeel Khan (Hyderabad), Shoaib Akhtar Jnr (Sialkot), Taj Wali (AJK), and Zain Abbas (Multan).
The PCB emphasized that the new contract structure aims to recognize consistent performers and ensure better financial rewards for domestic cricketers. The revamped system is part of the board’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the domestic circuit and create a clear pathway for players to progress to the national team.