Taskin Ahmed demoted, no player in A-plus category as BCB announces central contracts
Taskin Ahmed and Litton Das (Source: IG/@Taskintazim)
Published - 20 Feb 2026, 01:02 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has demoted their experienced pacer, Taskin Ahmed, in their newly announced central contracts for the 2026 season. Taskin was the only player in the A+ category for 2025, earning BDT 1 million per month (approximately USD 8,169). His demotion now leaves the A+ bracket without a single player.
Other than Taskin, category A includes Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Kumer Das, and Najmul Hossain Shanto, who are currently leading Bangladesh in ODIs, T20Is, and Tests, respectively.
The players placed in category A earn BDT 800,000 (US $6535 approximately) annually. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim has also been demoted from Grade A to B and will now earn BDT 600,000 (US $4901 approximately) on a monthly basis.
Rahim, 38, announced his ODI retirement on March 5 last year and had retired from the shortest format after the conclusion of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
While Mushfiqur's demotion is comprehensible, since he is only available for selection in the red-ball format, the decision to downgrade Taskin is hard to fathom, given his efficiency with the ball across formats.
A total of 11 players are part of Grade B, including red-ball specialists Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque, and Shadman Islam. Grade C includes Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nasum Ahme,d and Khaled Ahmed, whereas Grade D has seven players, including Bangladesh's star performer with the bat during the last Asia Cup, Saif Hassan.
BCB's 2026 central contracts
Grade A: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das, and Taskin Ahmed
Grade B: Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Towhid Hridoy, Shadman Islam, Tanzid Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, and Nahid Rana
Grade C: Soumya Sarkar, Jaker Ali, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, and Khaled Ahmed
Grade D: Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanvir Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Shamim Hossain, and Nurul Hasan
