LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday finalized the schedule and host cities for its sectoral first-class domestic competition, President Cup Grade-1.

According to details, the first-class matches will be held from September 24 in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad, while the five-day final is scheduled to be held from November 5 to 9, the venue of which is yet to be decided.

Also, this year’s President Cup Grade-1 will feature eight sector-specific teams – State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Ghani Glass, Pakistan Television (PTV), SahirIT Associates.

The PCB’s decision to finalize the schedule two months before the start of the first-class matches was welcomed by participants, who said it would help in getting budget approval and strategizing.

The development comes three weeks after the PCB announced that the department cricket matches as part of the 2026-27 domestic season will begin in September instead of the usual December-January start.

The cricket board, in a statement, confirmed that the country’s domestic season is set to begin in August, while the sectoral competitions will begin next month with the President’s Trophy Grade-1.

While the PCB did not reveal the schedule of other domestic matches at the time, it did share plans to work closely with departments on several areas, including player development and revenue for domestic cricketers.

“The PCB will work with departments across the four competitions to maintain optimum fitness, including pre-season fitness tests for player selection,” the cricket board said in a statement.

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