Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 (From 06 October to 03 December)

[Ball Blazer]

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announces the domestic cricket calendar for the 2025-26 season, with an emphasis on increased competitiveness, highlighted by an eight-team Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (first-class) tournament.

The domestic season will commence on 15 August with the 12-team Hanif Mohammad Trophy (non-first-class) being staged in Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. The teams are divided into two pools, with 31 matches scheduled in the four-day tournament. The top two sides will qualify for this season’s premier first-class competition – Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The 12 regional sides participating in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy are the same teams that competed in last season’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Based on last season’s standings, these are: Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, FATA, Lahore Region Blues, Hyderabad, Karachi Region Blues, Karachi Region Whites, Multan, Quetta, D.M Jamali, AJK and Larkana.

The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will feature Lahore Region Whites, Sialkot, Peshawar, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Bahawalpur and the two qualifying teams. The tournament is set to begin on 22 September and will comprise 29 matches in a single-league format, with the final scheduled from 3 to 7 November. Matches will be held at four venues across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, with further details to be announced in due course.

To further enhance competitiveness, a qualifying stage has also been introduced for the National T20. 10 teams – Abbottabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, FATA, Larkana, D.M. Jamali, and AJK will compete in the qualifier round. These teams will be divided into two pools, with the top two sides progressing to the National T20 (Super 10) tournament, which will be held in Faisalabad from 1 to 12 March.

The eight teams automatically qualified for the Super 10 stage are: Karachi Region Whites, Lahore Region Whites, Peshawar, Karachi Region Blues, Sialkot, Islamabad and Faisalabad.

Four departmental tournaments – President’s Trophy (four-day, first-class), President’s Cup (One-Day), President’s Trophy Grade II and President’s Trophy Grade III will also feature in this domestic season.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed Syed:

“We are pleased to unveil a domestic structure that places merit, opportunity and competitiveness at its core. The 2025-26 season has been designed to provide a clear pathway for teams and players to progress based on performance, not reputation.

“Introducing a qualifier for both the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the National T20 ensures that every match in our domestic calendar carries significant weight. This not only raises the standard of competition but also fosters a high-performance culture across all formats.

“The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now feature the most in-form and deserving teams, while the Hanif Mohammad Trophy gives 12 regions a meaningful chance to stake their claim. Similarly, the Super 10 format of the National T20 is a step towards creating more high-intensity, quality cricket.

“Our aim is to reward performance and create a vibrant environment where players and teams are constantly challenged. This structure lays the foundation for a long-term growth and helps us prepare future stars for the demands of international cricket.”

Director – Domestic Cricket Operations Abdullah Khurram Niazi:

“The 2025-26 domestic season reflects our commitment to building a competitive and inclusive structure that nurtures talent at every level, from grassroots to senior cricket. By aligning our tournaments across age-group and senior formats, we are creating a clear development pathway for young cricketers.

“We have placed equal emphasis on both regional and departmental cricket. The inclusion of a first-class and a one-day tournament exclusively for departments, along with Grade II and Grade III departmental competitions, ensures departments remain a vital pillar of our domestic cricket system.

“We are looking forward to U15, U17 and U19 age-group tournaments this season. These competitions will serve as vital stepping stones for young talent, helping us identify and groom future national stars early in their careers.

“Also, the top performers of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will not only be recognised as guest players by the top regions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but they will also be considered for domestic contracts, a move aimed at incentivising excellence.”

Tentative dates for forthcoming men’s domestic tournaments (schedules and other details will be announced closer to time):

• Hanif Mohammad Trophy (non-first-class): 15 Aug to 17 Sep (12 teams, 31 matches, four-day)
• National U19 Cup: 1-16 Sep (18 teams, 49 matches, one-day, nine venues)
• Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (first-class): 22 Sep to 7 Nov (eight teams, 29 matches, four-day, four venues)
• President’s Cup (One-Day) (Departmental tournament): 24 Nov to 10 Dec (eight teams, 31 matches, four venues)
• President’s Trophy (first-class) (Departmental tournament): 15 Dec to 30 Jan 2026 (eight teams, 29 matches, four venues)
• National T20 (Qualifier): 3-11 Feb 2026 (12 teams, 30 matches, six venues)
• National T20 (Super 10): 1-12 Mar 2026 (10 teams, 23 matches, one venue)
• National U17 Cup (One-Day): 28 Mar to 12 Apr 2026 (18 teams, 49 matches, nine venues)
• National U15 Cup (One-Day): 16 Apr to 1 May 2026 (18 teams, 49 matches, nine venues)
• President’s Trophy Grade II (Three-Day) (Departmental tournament): 28 Mar to 3 May 2026 (14 teams, 46 matches, six venues)
• President’s Trophy Grade III (Two-Day) (Departmental tournament): 28 Mar to 23 Apr 2026 (14 teams, 46 matches, six venues)
• Regional Inter-District U19: 28 Mar to 10 April 2026 (110 matches)
• Challenge League (Two-Day): 1 Oct to 10 Nov 2025
• Regional Inter-District Senior: 10 May to 10 Jun 2026
• Club Cricket Tournament: Nov 2025 to Jun 2026
• School Cricket: Sep-Oct 2025
• College Cricket: Oct-Nov 2025
• University Cricket: Nov-Dec 2025

Source: https://www.pcb.com.pk/press-releas...eadlines-pcb-s-2025-26-domestic-calendar.html

 

[Ball Blazer]

PCB has officially removed all three tournaments of the Champions Cup from the domestic calendar.

 

[Savak]

The PCB is hiding the fact that it is facing financial difficulties because Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB has wasted all their reserves on the stadiums and now the PCB does not have the funds to support the Champions Cup tournaments, there is a reason why the PCB slashed domestic salaries and the crazy thing is that the PDM, Establishment with their deshat, tight control on the media has successfully silenced the media and prevented them from asking these tough questions.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

A few things in life are certain, death, taxes, & PCB restructuring domestic cricket every few years.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

The PCB is hiding the fact that it is facing financial difficulties because Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB has wasted all their reserves on the stadiums and now the PCB does not have the funds to support the Champions Cup tournaments, there is a reason why the PCB slashed domestic salaries and the crazy thing is that the PDM, Establishment with their deshat, tight control on the media has successfully silenced the media and prevented them from asking these tough questions.

Still waiting for the announcement of the grand phase 2 for NSK, Rawalpindi, & GSL that was going to happen immediately after PSL.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

This has become a joke at this point. New year, new domestic structure.

And then these idiots wonder why our cricket is in the toilet..

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

The tournament should never have been increased to such a high number in the first place. Everyone knows that the quality of cricket nosedives significantly. This wasn't even the first time they went with a 15-16 team tournament. These people are so stupid and incompetent. They don't even realize the damage this is doing to our cricket. Everything is in a constant state of flux, and nothing and no one is allowed to settle. It's the same as it is in the national team with the constant changing of captains, coaches, selectors. Rather than spare one brain-cell to think, the first thing that comes into these idiots' mind is to 'overhaul it.'

 

[Cricket Warrior]

In an interview Karman Akmal, a former keeper-batsman of Pakistan, said:

"It was a surprise for me that such a big region, such a big team that has always dominated first-class cricket has been relegated. Karachi has produced a lot of top players over the years. With the top eight teams playing in the First-Class competition and Karachi not being one of them, I don't think it's a good decision -110 percent a Karachi team should be there,"

"There is a lot of talent in the region. What is the fault of all the boys if they don't get to play First-Class cricket? If you were planning to introduce this model, you should have informed all teams in advance-perhaps for the 2026-27 season. Suddenly announcing such a decision and not trusting anyone is not the right approach."

"Our system is not strong. There is no merit, and the quality of cricket is lacking. These are three serious concerns for Pakistan cricket. It's not a good sign. Our cricket has been struggling, and whoever comes into the PCB tries to create a domestic model in their own way. This is not an ideal approach. Until professional people are brought in, things will remain this way-we've been seeing it for the last six or seven years. But we are used to it now. The quality of cricket is not improving. So yes, it is a surprise for me that there is no Karachi team."

 

[BouncerGuy]

THREAD IS NOT ABOUT IMRAN KHAN'S JAIL STUFF...

PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC.

 

[shah_1]

Our domestic cricket is a joke hence our cricket is a joke

Naqvi is as big of a clown as pervious chairmans. Domestic cricket keeps on changing every year. There is no consistent pathway for youngsters.

RIP PCT

 

[BouncerGuy]

No consistency in PCB...

 

[MenInG]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1942500711930990611

 

[Markhor]

Another change

If you don't laugh you cry. Four systems in four years is the product of a dysfunctional board full of uncles making it up as they go along.

Number of teams

After one season of 18 FC teams (and if you looked at the state of some teams last season - "FC" would be charitable) we've gone back to...8 regions again like 23-24. Why didn't we just keep that format ?!

Islamabad and Rawalpindi venues

So after a home Test season on dustbowl tracks that'd been raked and fanned so our two uncles Noman and Sajid could spin teams out - we've chosen to play in the two most seam friendly FC venues in Pakistan. Unless they rake and fan these pitches, again there's a disconnect between our national team's brand of cricket and domestic cricket.

I understand a full home and away system is too costly for PCB, and some grounds are being uplifted, but one of the purposes of FC cricket is testing youngsters in a variety of conditions and venues. Surely we could've hosted a couple of rounds in the drier climates of Southern Punjab or Sindh ?

Club, school, college and university cricket

Press release lists all of these things but thin on detail.

Champions Cup experiment ditched

After announcing these events with such fanfare last year, the Champions tournaments don't even last a second season. We didn't even have the promised FC Champions tournament ! I gather the well paid mentors for these sides are now released from their contracts ?

Abdullah Khurram Niazi

The man running domestic cricket since spring 2024. Checking his background - he was appointed Chief Exec of the short lived and now defunct Central Punjab Cricket Association created by Ehsan Mani's PCB so in fairness he was introduced into the domestic circuit by PTI. He mastered in Economics and was a bureaucrat in Punjab for many years, with his last post being Deputy Commissioner of Jhang (where Mohsin Naqvi's family originates).

Now he may be a fine administrator but what's his cricketing background and qualifications for the post of Director of Domestic Cricket ? A grand total of 11 FC matches in the early 2000s ! One article says the job wasn't even advertised when he was appointed.

So far domestic cricket has been a circus on his watch. Remember last season the QEA Trophy didn't begin until 6 days after its scheduled start without any explanation leaving players/staff in the dark, and without FC cricket, during our busiest Test season in decades !

 

[Nasty Naz]

Good lord, another domestic revamp. Champions cup gone after one season and a whole bunch of money wasted.

Good to see FC is down to 8 teams - when it was 6, it felt a tad low but 8 should be the right number. However, it's worth noting under the 6 team system, there was a secondary tier of 6 additional teams from which worthy players would get promoted based on performance to the first tier. It's not clear in their information provided if there is a secondary tier and how many team it includes but I certainly hope there is a secondary tier. Otherwise, it's a huge chop of players and potential talent.

With QeA & President's trophy, that is 3 months worth of FC. That is pretty solid.

Now please, stop revamping the domestic system every year. These revamp's aren't going to lead to finding big talent magically, the focus needs to be putting work in with the players to maximize their tools & development.

 

[Markhor]

Good lord, another domestic revamp. Champions cup gone after one season and a whole bunch of money wasted.

Good to see FC is down to 8 teams - when it was 6, it felt a tad low but 8 should be the right number. However, it's worth noting under the 6 team system, there was a secondary tier of 6 additional teams from which worthy players would get promoted based on performance to the first tier. It's not clear in their information provided if there is a secondary tier and how many team it includes but I certainly hope there is a secondary tier. Otherwise, it's a huge chop of players and potential talent.

With QeA & President's trophy, that is 3 months worth of FC. That is pretty solid.

Now please, stop revamping the domestic system every year. These revamp's aren't going to lead to finding big talent magically, the focus needs to be putting work in with the players to maximize their tools & development.

Yeah there's a second tier competition called the Hanif Mohammad Trophy which'll serve as the Qualifiers for the QEA Trophy.

It features 12 teams from last season's QEA Trophy, and only 2 will progress to the main tournament to play the other 6 sides that have pre-qualified.

However it could mean no Karachi sides playing QEA Trophy which'll be a talking point !

Personally I'd have 2 Divisions of 6 teams in a double round robin format. Top 2 compete in a Final. The Division 2 champions replace the bottom placed Division 1 side. Each team plays a minimum of 10 FC games/season. Keep it simple, but PCB love needless complexity.

 

[Savak]

The problem with our domestic structure is that our national team players don't play them or get to play them because of their international commitments or T20 league commitments.

Players cannot be stopped from T20 leagues otherwise you will see a plethora of retirements and T20 freelance cricketers which is a dark reality of the modern game and to be fair to the players they should be allowed to maximize their earnings in their 10-20 year playing career window while honing their skills, developing valuable experience and developing communication skills, relationships with players from other countries and getting knowledge on different conditions, pitches in the world.

The aim of the Champions Cup Tournaments was to provide that one elite tournament where the top 5-6 teams will feature the national team players and the top 100-150 performers of the Hanif Mohammad tournament and Quaid e Azam tournament and these Champions Cup tournaments would be held at a time period where the national team players would be free and not have any international T20 commitments.

There has to be atleast 1 T20, ODI and 4 day elite competition which would have featured all the top Pakistani Super star players along with the top domestic performers and we saw the crowds in Faislabad in October 2024.

The issue isn't that the Champions Cup Format didn't work, the PCB had only held two tournaments to show for it. The issue is Mohsin Naqvi has badly mis managed PCB's finances where the PCB is now masking the financial hamoerage and is now making the players feel the brunt ie slashing domestic salaries, contracts, slashing, abandoning domestic tournaments like Champions Cup and the PDM, Establishment controlled media is petrified of asking tough questions, raising scrutiny out of fear of them being picked up by viggos and their loved one's harassed by the law enforcement agencies.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1942500711930990611

I guess somebody gets paid for restructuring. But it is just not the Domestic cricket that is getting restructured, it is the coaches, the support staff, the selectors, the chairman, the players and the captains all seems to be in a state of flux. The only constant is the decline of Pakistan cricket as a whole.

 

[RidiculousMan]

The problem with our domestic structure is that our national team players don't play them or get to play them because of their international commitments or T20 league commitments.

Players cannot be stopped from T20 leagues otherwise you will see a plethora of retirements and T20 freelance cricketers which is a dark reality of the modern game and to be fair to the players they should be allowed to maximize their earnings in their 10-20 year playing career window while honing their skills, developing valuable experience and developing communication skills, relationships with players from other countries and getting knowledge on different conditions, pitches in the world.

The aim of the Champions Cup Tournaments was to provide that one elite tournament where the top 5-6 teams will feature the national team players and the top 100-150 performers of the Hanif Mohammad tournament and Quaid e Azam tournament and these Champions Cup tournaments would be held at a time period where the national team players would be free and not have any international T20 commitments.

There has to be atleast 1 T20, ODI and 4 day elite competition which would have featured all the top Pakistani Super star players along with the top domestic performers and we saw the crowds in Faislabad in October 2024.

The issue isn't that the Champions Cup Format didn't work, the PCB had only held two tournaments to show for it. The issue is Mohsin Naqvi has badly mis managed PCB's finances where the PCB is now masking the financial hamoerage and is now making the players feel the brunt ie slashing domestic salaries, contracts, slashing, abandoning domestic tournaments like Champions Cup and the PDM, Establishment controlled media is petrified of asking tough questions, raising scrutiny out of fear of them being picked up by viggos and their loved one's harassed by the law enforcement agencies.

Reeks incompetence

 

[Ball Blazer]

Departmental Cricket structure explained for Domestic season 2025-26​

In a historic first, the Pakistan Cricket Board has introduced a three-tiered Departmental cricket structure in the Domestic cricket season 2025-26, which is set to begin in August and will conclude in May 2026.

Over 40 departments from the length and breadth of the country have been divided into three tiers – Grade-I, II and III with one First-class, one List-A, one three-day and one two-day matches competition slated to take place across the season.

Earlier, there were only two tiers but to make the departmental cricket more competitive and relegation promotion oriented, Grade-III will be introduced in this season, where the teams will compete in a two-day matches competition in March and April 2026.

Teams for the Grade-III tournament have been determined based on points table standings in the 2024-25 President’s Trophy Grade-II tournament. The top two teams in Grade-III will qualify for the next season’s G-II, while the bottom two teams of the G-II will be relegated to the third tier.

A total of 12 teams have qualified for the President’s Trophy Grade-II based on their points in the previous iteration of the tournament, while they will be joined by the two relegated teams from the Grade-I competition to form the 14-team tournament.

The G-II teams include Ahmed Glass, Ghani Institute, JDW Sugar Mills, Kingsmen, MIT Solutions, PAF, PHA Rawalpindi, Port Qasim, Railways, Sardar Group, Vital Tea, Wing 999 Sports, HEC (relegated) and Eshaal Associates (relegated).

The 14-team President’s Trophy Grade-II comprising of three-day matches is slated to take place from March to May 2026, where winner will have the opportunity to go one step ahead and qualify for the first-class and List-A departmental tournament for the next season. In the next season the PCB intends to add a 50-over competition for Grade-II teams as well.

The first departmental tournament in the upcoming domestic season is the 50-over President’s Cup which is set to take place right after the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in November and December. The tournament will consist of 31 List-A matches.

The participating teams are Ghani Glass, Khan Research Laboratories, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistan Television, Sahir Associates, State Bank of Pakistan, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, and Water and Power Development Authority.

Right after the one-day tournament, the same eight departments will compete in the 29-match first-class competition – President’s Trophy, which will conclude in January 2026. The bottom two teams will be relegated paving the way for the winners of the Grade-II tournament hence creating a highly competitive top to bottom departmental cricket structure.

Apart from the men’s domestic game, some of the departments are also expected to assemble their women’s teams in the coming months in order to strengthen the women’s domestic structure as well. The details will be shared in due course.

Director Domestic Cricket Operations, Abdullah Khurram Niazi:

“The departmental cricket has become the bedrock of our domestic cricket season for the third year straight. The PCB is proud and highly appreciates the efforts of more than 40 departments in helping Pakistan cricket grow by investing in talent and taking part in the domestic cricket season.

“We have incentivised the departmental cricket by dividing it into three tiers and creating a highly competitive structure for all the teams, which will surely lead to enhancing the quality of our domestic cricket.

“I eagerly look forward to seeing more than 400 players deservingly taking part in our domestic season representing various departments as we strive for the betterment and growth of cricket on the domestic front.”

Source: PCB

 

[Markhor]

The G-II teams include Ahmed Glass, Ghani Institute, JDW Sugar Mills, Kingsmen, MIT Solutions, PAF, PHA Rawalpindi, Port Qasim, Railways, Sardar Group, Vital Tea, Wing 999 Sports, HEC (relegated) and Eshaal Associates (relegated).

Do they sell kits ? I'm backing Vital Tea although it'd have been more fun if they replaced Vital with Fantastic.

On a serious note, what's the pathway for young Pakistani cricketers ? Two tiers of regional cricket, now three tiers of departmental cricket to muddy the waters even further.

Departmental cricket, if it must exist, should be limited to a single FC tournament featuring the best regional cricketers - i.e. a departmental version of Duleep Trophy. Instead we're expanding this anachronistic system to three tiers and creating a parallel system.

 

[Ball Blazer]

According to schedule, QeAT was supposed to begin on September 22. Why is the tournament delayed?

 

[MenInG]

No one batting an eye-lid...

 

[hur rizvi]

According to schedule, QeAT was supposed to begin on September 22. Why is the tournament delayed?

Crazy and they didn’t even bother to make an announcement or give a reason behind the delay

 

[Kianig89]

All we want is PShL , who cares about QeA and even in Gen Z hardly anyone knows about 1st class cricket in Pakistan ,its the millennials who are driving the cricket fanbase

 

[Savak]

Crazy and they didn’t even bother to make an announcement or give a reason behind the delay

Welcome to PDM and Establishment controlled Pakistan. The entire media and population is controlled by fear. No one will dare ask tough questions.

 

[hur rizvi]

Welcome to PDM and Establishment controlled Pakistan. The entire media and population is controlled by fear. No one will dare ask tough questions.

Also from what I see this format of 2 tournaments with 8 teams in Qea seems to be a cheap copy of IK’s era structure minus the hype and build up

 

[Nasty Naz]

According to schedule, QeAT was supposed to begin on September 22. Why is the tournament delayed?

What a surprise. The same happened last year and squads being announced last minutes just before the tournament starts so they can avoid criticism over some dubious picks. I am sure the same will happen again.

It's disappointing too it hasn't started because there is important Test matches coming up vs SA and our Test players won't have proper preparation under their belt to be ready for the series. And then we wonder why the players don't perform well enough in Tests. Look at these horrific preparations. Furthermore, it would have given some players much needed domestic FC they have been missing out on due to international/league commitment and right now its wide open for guys like Babar/Rizwan/Saud/Abdullah etc to play but here we are, delayed on your premier FC tournament without any explanation or reasoning.

 

[Moid]

The tournament was rescheduled to start on the 6th of October before the announcement to increase the number of participating teams.

New schedule link

 

[Moid]

Welcome to PDM and Establishment controlled Pakistan. The entire media and population is controlled by fear. No one will dare ask tough questions.

This a sports forum not a political one. As a resident of Pakistan I can clearly state that no one lives in fear here.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 to begin from 6 October

Lahore, 30 September 2025:

The 10-team Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is all set to begin in four cities - Abbottabad, Islamabad, Peshawar and Rawalpindi from Monday, 6 October as the domestic cricket season 2025-26 gets into full swing, the PCB announced today.

The four-day first-class tournament will be played on single-league round-robin format as a total of nine rounds have been penciled in from 6 October to 26 November, while the five-day final between the two top teams will take place from 29 November to 3 December.

The venues for the 46-match QeA Trophy are Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad, Shoaib Akhtar Stadium in Rawalpindi, Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar and Diamond and Marghzar Cricket Grounds in Islamabad. The venue for the final will be announced later.

Four of these venues except Peshawar also played host to the previous edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as well.

The participating teams are Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, FATA, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Whites, Multan, Peshawar and Sialkot.

FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues and Multan have qualified for the QeA Trophy after finishing with the most number of points in the recently concluded Hanif Mohammad Trophy.

In the first round, Sialkot – the defending champions of the tournament – will face Peshawar at the Imran Khan Stadium in a re-match of the previous edition’s final, which the former won by one wicket in a nerve-wrecking contest at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.

The squads of each of the 10 teams will be announced in due course.

First round fixtures:

6-9 October

Abbottabad v Bahawalpur at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

Lahore Whites v Islamabad at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Peshawar v Sialkot at Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar

FATA v Multan at Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad

Faisalabad v Karachi Blues at Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad

-ENDS-

 

[Nasty Naz]

Starting just late enough so our Test players can't get a single FC game in before Tests vs SA start. Brilliant work.

 

[Markhor]

I think it's time to pack it in following Pakistan cricket.

I don't know of any other board that runs FC cricket in such a haphazard manner.

There was no explanation for the delay last year, so I doubt we'll get one this year.

 

[RidiculousMan]

Starting just late enough so our Test players can't get a single FC game in before Tests vs SA start. Brilliant work.

They should release players like Faisal Akram from the squad so that at least he gets FC experience

 

[BouncerGuy]

Sialkot set to defend title as 68th edition of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy gets underway on 6 October

The 68th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will begin on Monday, 6 October in four cities and across five venues as 10 regional teams including defending champions Sialkot look to fight out for the red-ball glory in Pakistan.

Sialkot squeezed past Peshawar in a tense one-wicket win to bag the title in the previous edition led by Amad Butt at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.

The two teams will again come face to face in the opening round at the Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar as four other matches will also begin in Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The PCB has announced a winner’s prize of PKR 7.5 million, while the runners up will collect PKR 4 million. In a first, player of the match in each league match will also get PKR 25,000.

Player of the final will be awarded PKR 100k, while best bowler, batter, wicket-keeper and player of the tournament will be awarded PKR 250k each.

Among the 10 participating teams, FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues and Multan have qualified from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, while Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Sialkot, Lahore Whites and Islamabad were among the top performing teams in the last edition.

In the 46-match tournament a number of fixtures including the final are also set to be live-streamed on the PCB YouTube Channel in order to bring the fans closer to the action unfolding in domestic cricket.

In the opening round, the fixture at the Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar and Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad will be live-streamed on the PCB YouTube Channel.

As part of player development in first-class cricket, all teams are required to field at least one U21 player in their playing XI in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26. The team rosters of all 10 regions are given below:

Note: Teams can pick players from national duty roster as well as reserves before the start of each round if required and when available.

Abbottabad:

Fakhar Zaman (captain), Khalid Usman (vc), Ahmed Khan, Aqib Khan, Israr Hussain, Khayam Khan (wicket-keeper), Mehrooz Rasheed, Mohammad Adil, Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Suleman (Guest Player), Muhammad Arif, Shahnawaz Dahani (Guest Player), Shahzaib Khan (U21), Umair Badshah and Yasir Khan (Guest Player)

National Duty: Kamran Ghulam

Reserves: Adil Naz, Aftab Ahmed, Shujah Zaheer (U21), Mansoor Ali, Mohsin Junaid, Muhammad Riaz Ullah, Shahab Khan and Zain Ishaq,

Bahawalpur

Saifullah Bangash (captain, wicket-keeper, Guest Player), Muhammad Imran Randhawa (vc), Ali Hamza Waseem, Gulfam Aziz, Mehran Sanwal, Mohammad Alamgir, Mohammad Ammar (U21), Mohammad Azab, Mohammad Faizan Zafar, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad Shahriyar, Mubasir khan (Guest Player), Rana Burhan Basharat, Saad Khan (Guest Player) and Salman Hassan

Reserves: Ali Afzal, Ali Shabbir (U21), Khaqan Bashir, Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Sudais, Mohammad Umair, Mohammad Younis and Zaman Khan (Guest Player)

Faisalabad

Muhammad Irfan Khan (captain), Faheem Ashraf (vc), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Ali Shan (wicket-keeper), Asad Raza, Asim Ali Nasir, Atiq-ur-Rehman, Faham-ul-Haq (U21), Hasan Raza (Guest Player), Mudassar Zunair, Muhammad Awais Zafar, Sameer Saqib, Shehzad Gul and Taimur Khan

National Duty: Khurram Shahzad

Reserves: Abdullah Zubair, Ali Asfand (U21), Ibtisam ur Rehman (U21), Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Saqib, Raees Ahmed, Shahid Ali and Umar Ali

FATA

Khushdil Shah (captain), Muhammad Sarwar Afridi (vc), Akif Javed, Haseebullah (Guest Player), Hayatullah, Mohammad Farooq (U21), Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Waseem Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Rehan Afridi (wicket-keeper), Salman Khan, Sameen Gul, Shahid Aziz and Zahid Mehmood (Guest Player)

National Duty: Asif Afridi and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Reserves: Adnan Khan, Afaq Afridi, Arshadullah, Haroon Sadaqat, Jamshaid Khan, Khyal Maan, Muhammad Tauqeer, Sirajuddin and Usama Ahmed

Islamabad

Hasan Nawaz (captain), Abdul Faseeh (Guest Player), Faizan Riaz, Hammad Saddique, Haris Rauf, Jawad Ali (Guest Player), Kaleem Dil, Mohammad Hammad Khan, Mohammad Nawaz (Guest Player), Musa Khan, Nusratullah, Raja Hamza Waheed (U21), Sarmad Bhatti, Shamyl Hussain (U21) and Shayan Shaikh

National Duty: Rohail Nazir

Reserves: Farmanullah Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Mohammad Qaiser, Murtaza Jamal, Naseerullah Khan, Rizwan Ali, Salman Khan and Shahid Islam (U21)

Karachi Blues

Rameez Aziz (captain), Mir Hamza (vc), Abdullah Fazal, Danish Aziz, Fahad Amin (U21), Haroon Arshad (U21), Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Muhammad Umar, Mustaq Ahmad (Guest Player), Omair Bin Yuosuf, Saad Baig (U21, Guest Player, wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Saqib Khan and Usman Khan

National Duty: Abrar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood

Reserves: Arif Yaqoob, Asadullah Hamza, Ashiq Ali, Fawad Alam, Maaz Khurram Amin, Mohammad Hamza Sohail, Mohammad Tariq Khan, Mohammad Usman Rahim and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Lahore Whites

Saad Naseem (captain), Abid Ali, Ahmad Bashir, Ali Zaryab Asif, Attyab Ahmed, Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Hussain Talat, Junaid Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Salman, Naseem Shah, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah (U21) and Umar Siddiq (Guest Player)

National Duty: Aamir Jamal, Babar Azam and Salman Ali Agha

Reserves: Asadullah, Ahmed Daniyal Hasan Rizwan, Imran Dogar, Mohammad Ahsan, Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohib Bhatti, Muhammad Akhlaq, Obaid Shahid, Qasim Akram (Guest Player) and Shehbaz Javed, Usama Tariq

Multan

Zain Abbas (captain), Sharoon Siraj (vc), Aamer Yamin (subject to fitness), Ahmer Ashfaq, Ali Usman, Arafat Minhas, Bismillah Khan (wicket-keeper, Guest Player), Hasan Hafeez, Imran Butt (Guest Player), Imran Rafiq, Kashif Ali (Guest Player), Mohammad Ismail (U21), Mohammad Shan (U21), Muhammad Shahzad and Waqar Hussain

National Duty: Faisal Akram and Imam-ul-Haq

Reserves: Abdul Rehman Muzammil, Ghulam Haider, Huzaif Ayub, Jamshaid Bhatti, Saim Ayyaz, Tahir Hussain, Uzair Mumtaz and Zeeshan Ashraf

Peshawar

Abbas Ali, Adil Amin, Azam Khan, Israrullah, Khalid Shah, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Abuzar, Mohammad Irfan (U21), Muhammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Haris, (wicket-keeper), Nabi Gul, Najab Khan (U21), Niaz Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim (Guest Player) and Waqar Ahmed

National Duty: Mohammad Rizwan and Sajid Khan

Note: Rizwan and Sajid will be the captain and vice-captain, respectively for first first round.

Reserves: Afkar Durrani (U21), Fazal Haq, Mohammad Farhan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Zulkifal, Taj Wali and Zubair Khan

Sialkot

Amad Butt (captain), Aashar Mehmood, Afzaal Manzoor (U21, wicket-keeper), Ahmed Hasan (U21), Ayaz Tasawar, Azan Awais, Mehran Mumtaz (Guest Player), Mohammad Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Husnain Khan, Mohammad Waleed, Mohsin Riaz and Shoaib Akhtar

National Duty: Abdullah Shafique and Hasan Ali

Reserves: Ali Afzal (U21), Ali Raza (U21, subject to fitness), Athar Mehmood, Awais Ali (U21), Hamza Nazar, Khawaja Arham, Mirza Tahir Baig, Shahzaib Bhatti and Usama Mir (to join from second round)

First round fixtures:

6-9 October

Abbottabad v Bahawalpur at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

Lahore Whites v Islamabad at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Peshawar v Sialkot at Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar (To be live-streamed on PCB YouTube Channel)

FATA v Multan at Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad (To be live-streamed on PCB YouTube Channel)

Faisalabad v Karachi Blues at Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad

PCB

 

[CleverSir]

What is this “guest player”?

 

[BouncerGuy]

“Also, the top performers of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will not only be recognised as guest players by the top regions in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but they will also be considered for domestic contracts, a move aimed at incentivising excellence.”

What is this “guest player”?

FYI..

 

[Omer2002]

Wow two matches in the round are live streamed very good