LAHORE: In a second U-turn taken within 24 hours, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday made two quick changes to allow ten teams to participate in the forthcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QAT).

Earlier when the domestic cricket for the coming season was announced, the PCB had surprised all the regions by deciding that only top six teams of the 2024-25 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will directly qualify for this year’s edition while top two sides of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy 2025-26 will qualify for the QAT to make it an eight-team event as per the custom.

Under that system, no team from Karachi Region could qualify directly for the 2025-26 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy. While one team of Lahore Region qualified the other had to play the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, which ended on Wednesday.

Karachi Region had protested the decision of selecting top six teams of the last year as direct qualifiers. It fielded two teams in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy but no team from Karachi could qualify as Fata and Faisalabad topped their respective groups.

However, the PCB in its first U-turn on Wednesday conveyed a message to all the regional bodies: “Thanks to the Chairman PCB, approval for promotion of four teams this year has been granted on the request of the DDCO (Director Domestic Cricket).

“This year four teams, top two teams from each pool, shall be promoted to QAT and there will be relegation of two teams for the next Hanif Mohammad Trophy.”

According to this decision, besides Fata and Faisalabad as top teams of their respective groups, along with second best Karachi Blues and Lahore Blues were to qualify for the QAT.

But on Thursday a message from the PCB stated: “Fata, Karachi Blues, Faisalabad and Multan qualified for QAT under [the] new ruling: Thanks to the Chairman PCB, approval for promotion of four teams this year has been granted on the request of DDCO. This year two teams from each pool shall be promoted to QET. Additionally, remaining two teams will qualify on the basis of points/combined collectively. There will be relegation of two teams for the next Hanif Mohammad Trophy.”

After this latest development, Lahore Blues were ousted, despite finishing second in Group ‘A’ whereas Multan qualified for the QAT even after earning third spot in Group ‘B’. Karachi Blues also qualified from the same group.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025