PCB to organise separate first-class tournaments for regions, departments in 2023-24 season

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced to organise separate tournaments for regions and departments for the season of 2023-24.

In a statement, the cricket board said that the new domestic structure, framed by the PCB Cricket Technical Committee, headed by former captain Misbah ul Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, will bring more competition and quality cricket with enhanced earning opportunities for players.

“The upcoming men’s season will commence on 10 September with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy pitting top regional teams against each other, following which, the top eight departments will feature in the President’s Trophy, starting December 15. The two tournaments will be played on a single-league basis, and the table toppers will play the final,” it said.

The 18 regional sides have been slotted with eight teams playing the premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy while 10 regions will be playing Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a non-first-class four-day tournament.

Teams have been listed according to their standings in the 2018-19 season, from where the domestic structure resumes following the directives of PCB’s Patron-in-chief - also Pakistan Prime Minister. The PCB has revived the PCB 2014 Constitution, which brought back the department in the domestic circuit. Both tournaments begin simultaneously.

Abbottabad, Lahore, and Rawalpindi will be hosting as many as 29 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches while the Hanif Mohammad Trophy 10-team is divided into two groups with 23 matches will be hosted by Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Multan.

Teams for QeA Trophy

Teams playing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy are Peshawar, Karachi Whites, Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, FATA, Multan, Lahore Whites, and Faisalabad.

Teams for Hanif Mohammad Trophy

Ten teams featuring in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy are Abbottabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, Hyderabad, Karachi Blues, Larkana, Quetta, Sialkot, and Islamabad.

The historic departmental cricket model, which was scrapped in the 2019 PCB constitution, has made a remarkable comeback, with over 40 teams registered to be involved in the circuit.

PCB chairman, regional presidents discuss new domestic structure

Teams for President’s Trophy

In the continuation of the 2018-19 season, eight departments will be playing President’s Trophy, a first-class tournament. SNGPL, SSGC, WAPDA, KRL, PTV, NBP, and State Bank are slotted from their standing the last time they played in the 2018-19 season. The eighth team is to be announced in due course.

In January and February of 2024, Patron’s Trophy grade II will run concurrently nationwide with three-day games and grade III (two-day games).

Teams winning the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, Patron’s Trophy grade-II, and grade-III will earn promotions. The teams who finish at the bottom of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, President’s Trophy, and Patron’s Trophy grade-II will be relegated to the lower rung.

Every regional team must have one player under the age of 21 in playing XI and at least two in the 30-player squad. These players must have come through PCB’s age-group programme.

White-ball cricket

Eight regional sides will play the Pakistan Cup – which will have List A status – and the bottom 10 teams will play Hanif Mohammad Cup. The National T20 will feature all 18 regional teams.

Departments will also play a white-ball tournament, the details of which will be announced later.

Age group

The PCB will also provide a clear pathway to the age group cricketers where they harness their skills and evolve at each level with regional U13, U16 and U19 tournaments. The U13 and U16 teams will participate in one-day tournaments, and the U19 cricketers will play one-day and three-day competitions.

Further details

All regional and department teams will name 30-player squad before the season, which will be trimmed to 20 players before the start of every tournament.

Every region and department can have up to 30 percent of guest players in the 20-player squad