Lahore, The President’s Cup, a 50-over cricket tournament featuring seven top departmental teams, is set to commence this Wednesday, with matches scheduled between April 24 and May 12 in Abbottabad and Rawalpindi.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board, the tournament will host a total of 24 matches across three venues: Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Teams competing include the current President’s Trophy champions, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), along with Pakistan Television (PTV), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Higher Education Commission (HEC), and Ghani Glass. These teams will play in a round-robin format, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.
Team captains include notable players such as Ahmed Shehzad for WAPDA, Usman Salahuddin for SBP, and Saud Shakeel for SNGPL. The tournament boasts a prize pool of PKR 2.5 million, with the winners receiving PKR 1.5 million along with the trophy.
Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director of Domestic Cricket Operations, highlighted the event as a significant step in the resurgence of departmental cricket in Pakistan, aligning with the PCB Chairman’s policy to revitalize domestic cricket and foster emerging talent.
The opening fixtures on Wednesday will feature SNGPL against Ghani Glass at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, PTV versus SBP at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, and KRL against WAPDA at Shoaib Akhtar Stadium.