Lahore: Lahore Blues will face Rawalpindi in the final of the National U19 Cup on Thursday, as both teams vie for the championship title at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The match will be streamed live for free within Pakistan on Tapmad, while international viewers can watch via the Pakistan Cricket Board’s official YouTube channel.
The final, a 50-over contest, is set to begin with the toss at 9 a.m., and the first ball will be delivered at 9:30 a.m. The victor will claim a trophy and prize money totaling PKR two million, while the runner-up will receive PKR one million.
Individual accolades include PKR 100,000 each for the best batter, bowler, wicketkeeper, and player of the tournament. The player of the final will be awarded PKR 75,000.
The National U19 Cup offers emerging players a crucial platform to make their case for selection in the Pakistan U19 squad for the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The tournament began on 21 September with 18 teams from 16 regions. Lahore Blues topped Group ‘A’ with 13 points, securing six wins out of eight matches, one loss, and one abandoned match due to rain.
Rawalpindi led Group ‘B’ with 15 points, achieving seven victories and one rain-abandoned match.
Lahore Blues’ captain, Ali Hassan Baloch, dominates the batting charts with 601 runs across seven matches, averaging 85.86 and scoring three centuries. Rawalpindi’s Abdul Qadir ranks eighth, with 295 runs in six innings at an average of 73.75, including one century and two half-centuries.
In bowling, Rawalpindi’s left-arm spinner Mohammad Hassan Khan is third in the tournament, having taken 19 wickets in seven matches, including a five-wicket haul. Lahore Blues’ right-arm off-spinner Ibtisam Azhar holds the sixth spot, capturing 17 wickets in seven matches with two four-wicket hauls and one three-wicket haul.