LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday released the men’s domestic cricket calendar for the 2026-27 season, which runs from August 11, 2026 to June 15, 2027, which includes an expanded first-class system, two List A matches and an enhanced school cricket programme.
The domestic season includes two List A matches, three first-class matches, two non-first-class three-day events, two T20 matches, national U19, U17 and U15 matches, district leagues, inter-county matches and school cricket across 100 counties.
According to PCB, the calendar is designed to support the development and preparation of national, domestic, emerging, under-age and aspiring cricketers across the country.
The season will begin with two List A matches as Pakistan intensify preparations for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2027 to be held in South Africa from October 4 to November 21, 2027.
In a significant boost to the regional cricket structure, the PCB has introduced one additional regional team each from Sialkot and Peshawar. Along with Karachi and Lahore, they become four regions fielding two teams out of 16 regions.
The prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will now have two divisions. The erstwhile Hanif Mohammad Trophy, previously a non-first-class four-day tournament, was upgraded to first-class status and renamed Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Friday.
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold will feature the top eight teams from the previous season and will be held from November 1 to December 17 in Islamabad, Peshawar, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi. Each team will play seven first-class matches before the top two teams meet in the final.
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will feature 12 teams, including two new teams in Peshawar and Sialkot, two new teams in Abbottabad and Bahawalpur, and eight remaining teams from last season’s Hanif Mohammad Trophy.
The teams are divided into two groups of six, with the group winners advancing to the finals. The competition runs from November 1 to December 5, with the champions promoted to the Gold Division for the 2027–28 season, while the bottom Gold team is relegated.
The National T20 Cup Silver will be held in Lahore from 5 to 19 February 2027 featuring 12 teams, with the two finalists qualifying for the National T20 Cup Gold, scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027 at the same venue with 10 teams participating.
The Presidents Cup Grade-I will be held in Karachi from August 21 to September 8, with eight teams competing in a single league format before the semi-finals and final.
Meanwhile, the President Cup Grade-I, Grade-II Gold and Grade-II Silver competitions will begin simultaneously in eight cities on September 12. Around 34 sectoral teams are expected to participate in the four-day first-class and three-day non-first-class tournaments.
The PCB has strengthened its age-group pathway by introducing a red-ball tournament for all 16 regional U19 teams that will have 47 three-day matches. These teams will also participate in the 50 over competition simultaneously.
The National U19 Championship and National U19 Cup will be held in Faisalabad, Peshawar, Sialkot and Multan from September 15 to November 6.
The National U15 Cup will be held from October 22 to November 6, while the National U17 Cup is scheduled from November 10 to December 5. Trials for U15, U17 and U19 district teams will be held in September.
PCB has significantly expanded the talent hunt program for schools, increasing participation from 450 to 1,200 schools and expanding coverage from 39 to 100 districts in the 2026-27 season.
District cricket competitions will continue through District Challenge League, Inter-Regional Tournaments and Inter-District U19 Tournaments.
PCB’s senior general manager of domestic cricket operations, Osama Sharon, said the governing body is committed to providing more sporting opportunities across the country.
“We are delighted to announce the 2026-27 domestic cricket season, which will be a memorable one with many exciting matches, especially with all 16 regions playing first-class cricket. Divisional cricket continues to grow and we have also introduced a red-ball three-day tournament for the U19s.”
He thanked PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi for supporting the expansion of domestic cricket and regional academies.
“Our focus is on the Pakistan Men’s team’s preparations for this year’s Cricket World Cup, which is why we have scheduled two List A matches at the start of the season. With top national and emerging players featuring in domestic tournaments, fans can look forward to an exciting season as our cricketers continue their development.”
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