President’s Cup starts today, seven departmental cricket teams taking part

LAHORE: Abbottabad and Rawalpindi will host 24 matches of the 50-over-a-side President’s Cup, in which seven leading departments of the country will participate from April 24 to May 12.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the winner of the four-day first-class President’s Trophy, will aim to conclude the 2023-24 season with another trophy. Apart from SNGPL, the other six teams participating in the tournament are: Pakistan Television (PTV), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Higher Education Commission (HEC), and Ghani Glass.

The seven teams will compete in a single round-robin format, with the top four sides after 21 league matches qualifying for the semi-finals. While Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium will be used for the league matches, venues of the three knock-out matches will be confirmed closer to the matches.

Ahmed Shehzad will lead Wapda, Usman Salahuddin will head SBP, Rohail Nazir will lead KRL, Moeez Ghani will captain Ghani Glass, Mohammad Huraira will lead HEC, while Shamyl Hussain and Saud Shakeel will captain PTV and SNGPL, respectively.

The tournament carries a total prize money of Rs 2.5 million, with the winning side receiving a cheque of Rs 1.5 million along with the trophy.

Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director of Domestic Cricket Operations said, “Following the successful staging of the first-class tournament, the upcoming limited overs tournament marks a positive step in the smooth return and rehabilitation of departmental cricket, which should be welcomed by everyone. The return of department cricket aligns with the PCB Chairman’s policy of reinvigorating domestic cricket across the country, which will lead to more opportunities for younger players and a greater likelihood of new talent emerging.”

Fixtures for Wednesday: SNGPL vs Ghani Glass, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium; PTV vs SBP, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium; KRL vs WAPDA, Shoaib Akhtar Stadium.

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