KARACHI: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will kick off their National Challenge Cup title defence in a tough-looking Group ‘C’ alongside Wapda, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Pakistan Railways after the draws were made on Tuesday.

PAF beat K-Electric in a thrilling fashion last year with a 3-1 extra-time victory in the final, heaping more misery on their opponents who lost their fourth successive final.

K-Electric have since lifted their maiden Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) title and they are looking to put their ill luck in the country’s premier cup football tournament this time around.

“We’re in this to win this. We’ve had lots of heartbreak in the tournament,” K-Electric’s sports head Zabe Khan told Dawn with arch-rivals Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SSGC) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in Group ‘D’.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and 2013 winners National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) get the ball rolling on Wednesday as they face Saif Textiles and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) respectively in Group ‘A’.

Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Ashraf Sugar Mills are in Group ‘B’.

The top two teams from each group advance into the quarter-finals after round-robin matches. The final is on April 28.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

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