BCB widens safety net with record 28-player central contract

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday unveiled its men’s central contracts for 2026, announcing its largest-ever list of 28 players across four active salary grades while leaving the top A+ category vacant.
In what is being described as the longest and most inclusive central contract structure in the board’s history, the BCB opted against placing any cricketer in the A+ bracket, which carries a monthly salary of Tk10 lakh.

Four players — Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed — were retained in Grade A, earning Tk8 lakh per month. Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim headlines the Grade B group (Tk6 lakh), alongside Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana.
Grade C (Tk4 lakh) features Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nasum Ahmed and Khaled Ahmed.
Seven cricketers — Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan — received Grade D contracts worth Tk2 lakh per month.
For the first time, Saif, Parvez, Murad and Tanvir earned central contracts, while Nayeem, Shamim and Sohan returned to the list.
National selector Hasibul Hossain Shanto said the expanded list reflected the board’s intention to provide financial security and confidence to a broader pool of players amid a packed international calendar across formats.
“We wanted to make our players feel safe,” Shanto told Daily Sun. “Like Hasan Murad, Nayeem Hasan, Mahedy — someone like Mahedy mainly plays T20, but this year we don’t have many T20s. Still, we wanted to make them feel secure about their position.”
He explained that some players often miss out on selection due to team combinations rather than performance. “Take someone like Nayeem — he does well in Tests but sometimes has to sit out because of the combination. We don’t want them to feel deprived. If they remain within the BCB salary structure, they will be confident about themselves,” he said.
Shanto also pointed to the inclusion of emerging spinner Hasan Murad as an example of forward planning. “He has just played a series and now he is in the central contract. He has a bright future ahead, and that is what we are thinking at the moment. That is why the contract looks like a longer one,” he concluded.