LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the full domestic cricket calendar for the 2025-26 season, focusing on merit-based progress, increased competition, and talent development from grassroots to professional levels.
The season will start on 15 August with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a non-first-class tournament involving 12 regional teams, including Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, FATA, Lahore Region Blues, Hyderabad, Karachi Region Blues and Whites, Multan, Quetta, D.M. Jamali, AJK, and Larkana. Matches will be played in Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan, with a total of 31 four-day games scheduled. The top two teams will qualify for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class event, will be held from 22 September to 7 November at venues in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It will feature eight teams – Lahore Region Whites, Sialkot, Peshawar, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, and the two qualifiers from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. The tournament will have 29 four-day matches, with a single-league format and the final scheduled from 3 to 7 November.
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The National T20 tournament is set for 1 to 12 March 2026 in Faisalabad. This edition introduces a qualifier round, to be played from 3 to 11 February, involving 10 teams: Abbottabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, FATA, Larkana, D.M. Jamali, and AJK. The top two teams will join eight pre-qualified teams in the Super 10 stage, which includes: Karachi Region Whites, Lahore Region Whites, Peshawar, Karachi Region Blues, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Faisalabad.
In addition, the season features four departmental tournaments:
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President’s Trophy (First-Class) – 15 Dec to 30 Jan 2026
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President’s Cup (One-Day) – 24 Nov to 10 Dec
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President’s Trophy Grade II – 28 Mar to 3 May 2026
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President’s Trophy Grade III – 28 Mar to 23 Apr 2026
The age-group cricket structure includes regional tournaments in three categories:
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National U19 Cup: 1–16 September
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National U17 Cup: 28 March–12 April 2026
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National U15 Cup: 16 April–1 May 2026
Other competitions include:
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Challenge League (Two-Day): 1 Oct to 10 Nov 2025
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Regional Inter-District U19 and Senior events
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Club, school, college, and university cricket, running from September 2025 to June 2026
PCB COO Sumair Ahmed Syed stated that the calendar is designed to promote a performance-driven structure. “Introducing qualifiers ensures that every match has importance. This will raise competition and help prepare future national stars,” he said.
Director Domestic Cricket Abdullah Khurram Niazi said, “Top performers from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy may also earn domestic contracts and be selected as guest players in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. We’re building a complete pathway from youth to senior cricket.”
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