A view of the PCB constructing in Lahore. — AFP/File
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has launched a groundbreaking three-tier departmental construction for his or her upcoming 2025-26 season, which is about to run from August 2025 to Might 2026.
This new framework goals to inject larger competitiveness and set up clear promotion and relegation pathways inside the nation’s departmental cricket.
The revamped system will function over 40 departments from throughout Pakistan, categorised into Grade-I, Grade-II, and the newly launched Grade-III tiers.
This enlargement from the earlier two-tier system is a strategic transfer by the PCB to broaden the bottom of aggressive cricket and supply various match expertise to gamers throughout numerous codecs, together with first-class, Checklist A, three-day, and two-day competitions.
Groups in Grade-III will compete in two-day matches scheduled for March and April 2026. These groups have been chosen primarily based on their standings within the 2024-25 President’s Trophy Grade-II event.
The highest two Grade-III sides will earn promotion, whereas the underside two Grade-II groups will likely be relegated to the third tier.
A complete of 12 groups have certified for the President’s Trophy Grade-II primarily based on their efficiency final season. They are going to be joined by two relegated sides from Grade-I, forming a 14-team competitors.
The PCB can also be encouraging departments to kind ladies’s groups to help and increase the ladies’s home cricket construction. Additional particulars are anticipated to be introduced quickly.
Director of Home Cricket Operations, Abdullah Khurram Niazi, emphasised the importance of departmental cricket within the nation’s home construction, highlighting its constant function in nurturing and selling cricketing expertise.
“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.
“Now we have incentivised the departmental cricket by dividing it into three tiers and making a extremely aggressive construction for all of the groups, which is able to absolutely result in enhancing the standard of our home 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.”
Grade-II Groups:
Ahmed Glass, Ghani Institute, JDW Sugar Mills, Kingsmen, MIT Options, PAF, PHA Rawalpindi, Port Qasim, Railways, Sardar Group, Very important Tea, Wing 999 Sports activities, together with HEC and Eshaal Associates (relegated from Grade-I).
The President’s Trophy Grade-II, a three-day event, will run from March to Might 2026. The winner will likely be promoted to the first-class and Checklist A departmental tournaments within the following season.
The PCB additionally plans to introduce a 50-over competitors for Grade-II groups subsequent 12 months.
The home season will start with the 50-over President’s Cup in November and December, following the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. This Grade-I Checklist A occasion will function 31 matches.
President’s Cup Contributors (Grade-I):
Ghani Glass, Khan Analysis Laboratories, Oil and Gasoline Growth Firm Restricted, Pakistan Tv, Sahir Associates, State Financial institution of Pakistan, Sui Northern Gasoline Pipelines Restricted, and Water and Energy Growth Authority.
After the one-day occasion, the identical groups will take part within the President’s Trophy (First-Class) event, a 29-match competitors concluding in January 2026.
The underside two groups will likely be relegated, with the highest two from Grade-II changing them subsequent season, guaranteeing a aggressive pipeline throughout all ranges.
