LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced three new Champions tournaments for Men’s Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25 in a strategic shift to strengthen the domestic structure of Pakistan cricket.
The new tournaments, branded as Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup, and Champions First-Class Cup will join the National T20 Cup, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, President’s Trophy, President’s Cup, and HBL Pakistan Super League 2025 in the domestic cricket season, expected to run from September 1, 2024 to August 5, 2025.
In a press release, PCB announced a plan to organize a total of 261 matches across eight men’s senior tournaments with the addition of three Champions tournaments. This includes 131 first-class matches in three events, 40 50-over matches in two events, and 97 T20 matches in three events, it added.
In a press release, PCB said that the initiative was launched to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket, provide a tougher, more competitive, and high-pressure cricket playing environment, and create better and enhanced earning opportunities for its future stars.
The newly-introduced Champions tournaments will be played among five sides – Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions, and Wolves – who will compete in each Champions Cup event which will be played in a double-league format.
Around 150 of the country’s highest-performing domestic players from the past three years and centrally contracted players will be available for selection.
The Champions One-Day Cup will serve as the season opener of the PCB Men’s Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25 when the 21-match tournament is played from 1-29 September.
Champions First-Class Cup will be the last tournament of the domestic season which will be held from May 28 to August 5.
In addition to the eight men’s senior tournaments in the period from August 2024 to September 2025, the PCB will also organise 11 development/pathway tournaments which will be separate from the three Pakistan Shaheens and one Pakistan U19 away series.
