LAHORE: Continuing its long-running practice of frequently changing the domestic structure, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again overhauled the calendar for the 2026-27 season, introducing a two-tier first-class Quaid-i-Azam Trophy while making another adjustment to its limited-overs pathway ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

The premier domestic competition will feature 20 regional teams, with eight placed in the Gold division and 12 in the Silver division. Both competitions will carry first-class status.

The latest structure marks another significant departure from the previous season, when only 10 regional teams played first-class cricket in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy while 12 others featured in the non-first-class Hanif Mohammad Trophy.

In 2024-25, the PCB had allowed all 16 regions to field 18 teams in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, with Karachi and Lahore entering two teams each and the remaining regions one apiece.

Under the new arrangement, Sialkot and Peshawar have also been allowed to field two teams, joining Karachi and Lahore as the only four regions with multiple first-class sides.

The top eight teams from the previous edition will compete in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Gold, with each playing seven matches before the top two meet in the final. The 12-team Silver division will be split into two groups of six, with the group winners contesting the final. The Silver winner will be promoted to Gold for the 2027-28 season, while the bottom Gold teams will be relegated.

The PCB has also upgraded the previously non-first-class Hanif Mohammad Trophy to first-class status and renamed it Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Silver.

However, the board has once again failed to restore a proper regional National One-day Cup to the calendar, despite the ICC World Cup 2027 being less than 15 months away. Instead, it has opted for a four-team List-A tournament, with the teams to be selected by the PCB, alongside an eight-team National Departmental One-day Cup.

The decision is another indication of the lack of continuity in the domestic structure. The regional National One-day Cup has now been omitted for the third successive season, even though January 2027 has been left without domestic cricket and could have provided an ideal window for the competition.

The PCB has also continued to prioritise school cricket over club cricket. While its Talent Hunt Programme has been expanded from 450 to 1,200 schools across 100 districts, a National Inter-Club Championship has once again been left out.

National inter-club tournaments were held in 2017, 2018, 2024 and 2025, but never consistently, with successive PCB administrations repeatedly changing the domestic system instead of following a long-term policy. Clubs, unlike schools, are officially affiliated with the PCB and pay millions of rupees in registration fees every year.

The National T20 Cup will also be divided into Gold and Silver divisions, while departmental cricket will feature the President’s Cup Grade-I and President’s Trophy Grade-I, Grade-II Gold and Silver competitions.

In a positive development, the PCB has revived the National Under-19 three-day championship after a three-year gap. The 20 regional U-19 teams will also compete in a 50-over tournament, while U-15 and U-17 competitions will continue.

PCB senior general manager domestic cricket ope­ra­tions Osama Sharoon said the new season would provide opportunities across the domestic circuit.

“With all of our 16 regions playing first-class cricket, departmental cricket continuing to be on the rise and red-ball three-day matches arranged for U19 players, we have created opportunities across the domestic circuit,” he said.

The season will run from Aug 11 to June 15.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2026