LAHORE (Kashmir English): The Pakistan Cricket Board has officially announced the schedule for the National Champions Cup along with the squads of the four participating teams.
The tournament will serve as the starting point for the country’s 2026-27 domestic season as well as preparations for the ICC Men’s World Cup.
The event, based on the One-Day format, will be played at Multan Cricket Stadium from August 11 to August 18.
National Champions Cup
A total of 7 One Day matches, including the final, will be played in the tournament, while day-night matches will start at 3 PM.
The National Selection Committee has selected 4 squads consisting of 11 players each, while 13 reserve players have also been announced.
Teams will have the facility to play a substitute from the reserve players in case of a player being injured or a concussion.
Four teams, Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Gold, Pakistan Whites, and Pakistan Blues, will feature in the tournament.
PCB has entrusted the captaincy responsibilities of the four teams to Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub, and Sahibzada Farhan.
Similarly, it nominated Ijaz Junior, Misbah-ul-Haq, Iqbal Imam, and Aizaz Cheema as the head coaches for the teams respectively.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Team
The team playing under the captaincy of Shaheen Shah Afridi consists of Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Faisal Akram, Haider Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Akhlaq, Mohammad Imran, and Saad Khan.
Sahibzada Farhan’s Team
The squad playing under the leadership of Sahibzada Farhan will consist of Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Rohail Nazir, Shamil Hussain, Sufiyan Muqeem, Taimur Khan, and Tayyab Tahir.
Saim Ayub’s Team
The team taking the field under the leadership of Saim Ayub includes Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Haris Rauf, Hassan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Wasim Junior, Saad Masood, Shahzaib Khan, and Usman Khan.
Shadab Khan’s Team
The team playing under the leadership of Shadab Khan includes Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousuf, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Baig, and Sameer Minhas.
According to Chief Selector Aaqib Javed, the purpose of the tournament is to provide players with maximum opportunities to play One-Day cricket.
He said that in this tournament, players will be seen playing One-Day cricket according to their specific roles.
The National Champions Cup is being organized at a time when the Pakistan cricket team is entering the preparation phase for the ICC Men’s World Cup.
