Karachi, The National T20 2023-24 cricket tournament is set to commence on 24 November, featuring 18 teams and spanning until 10 December. The tournament will be hosted across four venues in Karachi, including the National Bank Stadium, UBL Sports Complex, HPC Oval Ground, and NBP Sports Complex.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), all matches at the National Bank Stadium will be broadcast on PTV Sports and ARY ZAP in Pakistan and live-streamed on YouTube for overseas audiences. Double-header matches at the National Bank Stadium are scheduled for 1500 PKT and 2000 PKT, with tosses at 1430 PKT and 1930 PKT respectively.
PCB has also announced free entry for spectators for matches at the National Bank Stadium, with access to the Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, and Fazal Mahmood enclosures. The 63-match tournament will begin with group stage games, followed by Super Eight matches. The group stage, comprising 32 matches, will take place from 24 to 28 November.
The teams have been divided into four groups:
Group A: Lahore Whites, Peshawar, Karachi Blues, Larkana, and Quetta
Group B: Lahore Blues, Karachi Whites, Islamabad, Hyderabad, and Dera Murad Jamali
Group C: Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur
Group D: Multan, Sialkot, FATA, and AJK
The opening fixtures will feature Lahore Whites against Larkana and Karachi Blues against Peshawar in Group A, Karachi Whites against Islamabad and Hyderabad against DM Jamali in Group B, Rawalpindi against Abbottabad and Faisalabad against Bahawalpur in Group C, and Multan against Sialkot and FATA against AJK in Group D.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, played from 1 to 8 December in a round-robin format, with the full schedule to be announced later. The semi-finals are scheduled for 9 December, and the final will be on 10 December at the National Bank Stadium.
Prize money of PKR 5 million awaits the winning team, while the runners-up will receive PKR 2.5 million. Individual awards for player of the tournament, best batter, best bowler, and best wicket-keeper, each worth PKR 250,000, will also be presented. The player of the final will receive PKR 50,000, and each Super Eight and semi-final match player of the match will be awarded PKR 25,000.
This edition marks the first tournament since the reinstatement of the PCB 2014 Constitution. The last edition was won by Sindh, who clinched their maiden title by defeating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.