The Bangladesh Cricket Board have decided to remove the A+ category from the upcoming men’s central contract list for 2026, a clear signal of the current reality facing the national side. The move follows an internal review of player availability across formats and reflects a shortage of regular all-format cricketers. Cricbuzz first reported the development on Sunday.
BCB’s cricket operations committee have prepared a list of 27 players they plan to include in the new contract cycle. The board are yet to give final approval, but the direction looks set. Unlike previous years, the top-tier A+ bracket will not exist.
In 2025, BCB shifted away from format-based contracts and returned to a universal grading system. They divided players into A+, A, B, C and D categories to reward multi-format contribution. That logic now cuts the other way.
“We are not having any A+ category in the central contract this year,” a BCB official confirmed to Cricbuzz on Saturday. “None of our cricketers are currently playing across all three formats regularly which was one of the prerequisites to get into the A+ bracket of the central contract. We have prepared a list of 27 cricketers and now waiting for the final approval of the board.”
That explanation holds weight. Bangladesh rotate aggressively across formats, protect workloads and rarely field the same core in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. The board have chosen honesty over optics.
Mahmudullah drops out of the contract list after retiring from all formats. The remaining 21 players from the previous cycle retained their places. BCB also added six names to widen the pool and refresh competition.
The probable list includes Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Kumar Das, Taskin Ahmed, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Shadman Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Shamim Hossain Patwary, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hasan, Nayeem Hasan, Tanvir Islam and Hasan Murad.
Meanwhile, BCB also announced the launch of the three-team ODOMMO Bangladesh T20 Cup 2026, starting on February 5. The board see the tournament as a competitive reset after Bangladesh missed out on the ICC T20 World Cup. They want intensity, not exhibition cricket.
“Three teams will feature in this exciting competition with prize money and fees worth Taka 2.5 Crore,” BCB said in a statement. The teams are Dhumketu XI, led by Litton Das, Durbar XI under Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Duronto XI captained by Akbar Ali.
“We will be giving match fees along with other things. We are expecting to announce a good amount as prize money and all these efforts are taken to make sure that the tournament is competitive,” a BCB official added. The board will also introduce an Impact Player rule to add tactical bite.
