The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed a major overhaul and expansion of its Men’s Domestic Cricket Contracts for the 2025-2026 season. The move aims to bring more local talent under the national system.
The PCB announced that the total number of players receiving domestic contracts has been significantly increased from 131 to 157 cricketers. These players are now contracted for a full year, running from August 2025 through July 2026.
PCB announces men’s domestic contracts for 2025-26 season
Details here ⤵️ https://t.co/bctbwXZrhG
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) October 30, 2025
In a key structural change, the Board has abandoned the previous three-tier model and replaced it with four distinct contract categories. This allows for a more detailed recognition of performance levels.
The new distribution is as follows:
| Category | Number of Players |
| Category 1 | 30 Players |
| Category 2 | 55 Players |
| Category 3 | 51 Players |
| Category 4 | 21 Players |
| Total | 157 Players |
The PCB clarified that the placements within these new domestic contracts were not arbitrary; every player’s categorization was determined strictly by evaluating their performance record during the previous year’s domestic cricket season.
