The main event on PCB’s domestic schedule for 2025–2026 is the competitive Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
With a focus on heightened competition, the Pakistan Cricket Board unveiled the domestic cricket schedule for the 2025–2026 season, which included an eight-team Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (first-class) competition.
The 12-team Hanif Mohammad Trophy (non-first-class) will be held in Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan on August 15 to kick off the domestic season. The four-day tournament consists of 31 matches and divides the teams into two pools. The top two teams will advance to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier first-class competition for this season.
The 12 regional teams that competed in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy the previous season are also competing in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, FATA, Lahore Region Blues, Hyderabad, Karachi Region Blues, Karachi Region Whites, Multan, Quetta, D.M. Jamali, AJK, and Larkana are the teams listed based on the results of the previous season.
Lahore Region Whites, Sialkot, Peshawar, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, and the two qualifying teams will compete for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The tournament will start on September 22 and consist of 29 single-league matches, with the final taking place from November 3–7. Four locations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi will host the matches; more information will be revealed soon.
For the National T20, a qualifying stage has also been added to increase competition. The qualifying round will feature ten teams: Abbottabad, Multan, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, FATA, Larkana, D.M. Jamali, and AJK. The top two teams from each of the two pools will advance to the National T20 (Super 10) tournament, which will take place in Faisalabad from March 1–12.
Karachi Region Whites, Lahore Region Whites, Peshawar, Karachi Region Blues, Sialkot, Islamabad, and Faisalabad are the eight teams that have automatically advanced to the Super 10 stage.
This domestic season will also include four departmental tournaments: the President’s Trophy (four-day, first-class), the President’s Cup (one-day), the President’s Trophy Grade II, and the President’s Trophy Grade III.
Sumair Ahmed Syed, PCB Chief Operating Officer:
“We are happy to present a domestic framework that prioritizes opportunity, merit, and competition. The 2025–26 season is set up to give teams and players a clear path forward based on performance rather than reputation.
“Adding a qualifier for the National T20 and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy guarantees that every game on our domestic schedule has substantial importance. This promotes a high-performance culture in all formats in addition to raising the bar for competition.
The most successful and worthy teams will now compete for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, while 12 regions have a significant opportunity to make a claim with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. In a similar vein, the National T20’s Super 10 format is a step toward producing more excellent, high-intensity cricket.
“We want to incentivize excellence and foster a dynamic atmosphere where teams and players are continuously tested.” This structure helps us prepare future stars for the demands of international cricket and lays the groundwork for long-term growth.
Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director of Domestic Cricket Operations:
“Our dedication to creating a competitive and welcoming environment that develops talent at all levels, from junior cricket to senior cricket, is demonstrated by the 2025–26 domestic season. We are giving young cricket players a clear development path by coordinating our tournaments across age-group and senior formats.
“We have given departmental and regional cricket equal weight. Departments continue to be an essential part of our domestic cricket system thanks to the addition of a first-class and a one-day tournament just for departments, as well as Grade II and Grade III departmental competitions.
“This season’s U15, U17, and U19 age-group competitions are exciting to us. In order to find and develop future national stars early in their careers, these contests will be essential stepping stones for young talent.
In an effort to reward excellence, the top Hanif Mohammad Trophy performers will also be given consideration for domestic contracts in addition to being acknowledged as guest players by the top Quaid-e-Azam Trophy regions.
Dates for upcoming men’s domestic competitions are tentative; schedules and other information will be released closer to the event.
Non-first-class Hanif Mohammad Trophy: August 15–September 17 (12 teams, 31 matches, four days)
9 venues, 18 teams, 49 matches, one day, National U19 Cup, September 1–16
First-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: September 22–November 7 (four days, four venues, eight teams, and 29 matches)
President’s Cup (One-Day) (Departmental tournament): November 24–December 10 (four venues, eight teams, and 31 matches)
First-class President’s Trophy (departmental tournament): December 15–January 30, 2026 (four venues, 29 matches, eight teams)
February 3–11, 2026, National T20 (Qualifier) (12 teams, 30 matches, 6 venues)
March 1–12, 2026: National T20 (Super 10) (10 teams, 23 matches, one venue)
One-day National U17 Cup: March 28–April 12, 2026 (18 teams, 49 matches, 9 venues)
One-day National U15 Cup: April 16–May 1, 2026 (18 teams, 49 matches, 9 venues)
The three-day President’s Trophy Grade II (Departmental tournament) will take place from March 28 to May 3, 2026, with 14 teams, 46 matches, and six venues.
The two-day, departmental President’s Trophy Grade III tournament will take place from March 28 to April 23, 2026, with 14 teams, 46 matches, and six locations.
Regional Inter-District U19: 110 games from March 28 to April 10, 2026
Two-Day Challenge League: October 1–November 10, 2025
Senior Regional Inter-District: May 10–June 10, 2026
Club Cricket Competition: November 2025–June 2026
September–October 2025: School Cricket
College Cricket: 2025 October–November
November–December 2025: University Cricket
