In their 2018 domestic season, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has added three new championship tournaments, which will be known as the Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup, and Champions First-Class Cup. The competitions will coexist with the current National T20 Cup, Pakistan Super League, President’s Cup, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and President’s Trophy.
For the inaugural Champions tournament, five new clubs have been formed: the Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions, and Wolves. There will be about 150 people competing, and it will be played in a round-robin format. Each team’s best domestic players will be included in the teams, along with a few players under central contracts who will be open to selection.
For the 2024–25 season, PCB plans to stage a total of 261 domestic matches. This comprises 40 List A games, 97 T20s, and 131 First-Class matches. Although a schedule has not yet been created, Cricket Pakistan reports that it will take place from September 1, 2024, to August 5, 2025.
“The actual status of Pakistan cricket does not align with its genuine potential and legacy. We are currently ranked sixth in Tests, fourth in ODIs, and seventh in T20Is. In order to reclaim our rightful position at the top of the cricket world, we need to systematically improve, grow, and fortify our domestic system. “The Champions tournaments will bring together our most talented and consistent performers from domestic cricket with our centrally-contracted players, creating an environment that mirrors the intensity of international cricket,” PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying. “The introduction of the three Champions tournaments is a bold step in this direction,” he continued.
The supreme council will also arrange for devoted support staff, physiotherapists, physicians, analysts, and other important individuals. Former Pakistani players will serve as mentors for all of the Champions teams. In addition, all players will be able to train in the Regional High Performance Centres located in Sialkot, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, and Faisalabad.
Additionally, PCB hopes to get corporate sponsorship for these upcoming competitions.
They intend to create it in the style of the Premier League in the hopes of securing broadcast agreements, media partnerships, and significant ticket sales money.
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In order to promote cricket throughout the nation, the board has also inked Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Inter-Board Coordination Commission (IBCC), Capital Development Authority (CDA), and Higher Education Commission (HEC). The board intends to host numerous competitions and establish a number of academies. The country’s U17 and U19 teams will then have the chance to choose from among the top performers.
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