Islamabad: Eighteen teams gear up for the National Men’s Under-19 One-Day Cup, starting this Sunday, September 21st. The tournament, announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday, will feature squads from 16 regions competing across Charsadda, Muridke, Peshawar, and Sheikhupura. Seventy-two group stage matches are scheduled, culminating in a final on Tuesday, October 14th, at a venue yet to be disclosed.
The PCB has allocated a prize purse of PKR 3.475 million. The champions will receive PKR 2 million, while the runners-up will get PKR 1 million. Individual awards of PKR 100,000 each will be presented to the best batter, bowler, wicket-keeper, and player of the competition. The player of the final will earn PKR 75,000. This championship serves as a crucial stepping stone in Pakistan’s preparations for the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026, hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The eighteen participating sides are divided into two groups. Group A includes Abbottabad, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Blues, Larkana, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, and Sialkot. Their matches will be held at Sheikhupura Cricket Stadium, Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan Cricket Academy (Sheikhupura), and Lahore Country Club (Muridke).
Group B consists of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, FATA, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Karachi Whites, Lahore Whites, and Rawalpindi. These teams will compete at Hayatabad Sports Complex, Mir Awais Cricket Ground, and Shama Cricket Ground (Peshawar), as well as Ishfaq Cricket Ground (Charsadda).
Each squad will play eight group matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final on October 14th. The opening day fixtures include Abbottabad versus Multan, Sialkot versus Faisalabad, Lahore Blues versus Peshawar, and Larkana versus Quetta in Group A. In Group B, Rawalpindi will face Karachi Whites, FATA will play Dera Murad Jamali, Bahawalpur will take on Hyderabad, and Lahore Whites will clash with Azad Jammu and Kashmir.