NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s centrally contracted cricketers will see a significant pay hike, with players in the newly introduced Red-ball Track A category expected to benefit the most under the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new contract system for the 2026-27 cycle.According to a reliable PCB source, a committee that includes white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has finalized the draft contracts for the upcoming cycle.The PCB has laid special emphasis on rewarding players who feature regularly in Test cricket.“Their match fees are expected to be around PKR 1.5 million, while their monthly take-home pay will be in the range of 4 million rupees before tax. Previously, in the last contracts, the players received trial match fees of around PKR 800,000,” the source said.The new structure marks the first time the PCB has introduced format-based central contracts.Players selected in the Track A and Track B categories – which cover the Test cricket and white-ball formats – are expected to be among the top earners. Apart from the match fees, he is likely to receive monthly fees of around PKR 4.8 to 5 million.The committee also proposed attractive performance-based incentives. According to the source, the players will get a 500 percent bonus on their match fees if Pakistan wins the ICC tournament, while winning an Asian-level event like the Asia Cup would fetch a 300 percent bonus.The source also revealed details about the other categories. Players with a contract in Track B only, which covers ODIs and T20Is, are expected to receive monthly allowances of up to PKR 1.8 million.Meanwhile, cricketers placed in Track C – a category reserved for players involved only in T20 cricket and franchise leagues – are likely to receive monthly fees ranging from PKR 1.2 million to PKR 1.5 million.Interestingly, the PCB is also considering not releasing the names and categories of players under central contract. If implemented, it would be a first for cricket in Pakistan and has already drawn criticism from some quarters.The PCB is yet to announce how many players will get central contracts under the new format-based system.
