The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has revealed its men’s central contracts for 2026, introducing a new structure and expanding the list of players on central contracts. These contracts will be in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
Key changes in the 2026 contract structure
The BCB has made notable adjustments to its central contracts for the upcoming season:
A+ category removed: The board has eliminated the top-tier ‘A+’ category from the roster. This change was made due to the lack of cricketers consistently playing all formats for Bangladesh. Therefore, no player qualifies for the A+ category this year.
Expanded player pool: The number of centrally contracted players has grown from 22 in 2025 to 28 in 2026.
Four-tier system: Players are now categorized into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with specific monthly salaries for each.
Grade-wise contract list and salaries
Below is the complete breakdown of players in each grade and their monthly salaries:
| Grade | Players | Monthly Salary (BDT) |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed | 800,000 taka |
| Grade B | Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana | 600,000 taka |
| Grade C | Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed | 400,000 taka |
| Grade D | Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan | 200,000 taka |
Notable inclusions, promotions, and omissions
The 2026 contracts show several important changes based on player performances:
Taskin Ahmed downgraded: The pacer, who was in the A+ category in 2025, has been moved to Grade A after an Achilles injury kept him out of Test matches last year, though he played in white-ball cricket.
Mushfiqur Rahim moves to Grade B: The experienced batter has been moved down to Grade B following his ODI retirement in March 2025.
Young players promoted: Strong performances led to promotions for some young cricketers. Tanzid Hasan, the leading run-scorer in T20Is for Bangladesh in 2025, has been promoted to Grade B, along with leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who topped the wicket charts in both ODIs and T20Is.
First-time contract recipients: Batters Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon, and spinners Hasan Murad and Tanvir Islam, have received central contracts for the first time and are placed in Grade D.
Notable omissions: Test opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy has not made the 2026 contract list, while veteran all-rounder Mahmudullah, who retired from all formats, is also absent as expected.
Players returning to contracts: Spinner Nayeem Hasan, batter Shamim Hossain, and wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan have rejoined the central contracts after being omitted previously.
