WEBDESK: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its domestic cricket 2025–26 season calendar, bringing in a new structure focused on performance, merit, and competitiveness.
This season’s fixtures come with updated formats, added qualifying rounds for major tournaments, and greater participation from both regional and departmental teams.
Domestic cricket 2025–26 schedule
The action will begin on August 15 with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a four-day competition that does not hold first-class status. This tournament features 12 regional sides and will be staged across Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan.
A total of 31 matches will be played in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, with teams divided into two pools. The two top-performing teams from this stage will earn a place in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the top-tier first-class tournament starting 22 September.
The same 12 regional teams that competed in last year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will take part in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy again.
These include 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 2025–26 will feature eight sides: Lahore Region Whites, Sialkot, Peshawar, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, and the two teams who qualify from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy.
The tournament will follow a single-league format with 29 matches in total, and the final is scheduled from 3 to 7 November, with matches taking place in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
This year, the National T20 tournament will start with a qualifying phase. Ten regional teams, Abbottabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, FATA, Larkana, D.M. Jamali, and AJK, will be split into two groups.
The top two teams from this round will move on to the National T20 Super 10 event, which is set to be held in Faisalabad from 1 to 12 March 2026.
Eight teams have already secured their spots in the Super 10 stage: Karachi Region Whites, Lahore Region Whites, Peshawar, Karachi Region Blues, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Faisalabad.
Departmental cricket also remains a key feature of the season, with four competitions scheduled: the President’s Trophy (first-class), President’s Cup (one-day), President’s Trophy Grade II (three-day), and President’s Trophy Grade III (two-day).
Depending on their performance in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, they may be invited to participate in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as guest players and may be signed to a domestic contract, which enables them with a great chance at developing at a professional level.
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