PCB unveils seven domestic tournaments schedule

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially released the schedule for seven tournaments, including two U19 tournaments, for the upcoming 2023-24 men's domestic cricket season.

The schedule for department tournaments will be announced at a later date. The 2023-24 cricket season will kick off with 29 matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, commencing on September 10 and concluding on October 26. The eight-team regional tournament will start at Gaddafi Stadium, with Lahore Region Whites taking on Lahore Region Blues on Sunday, September 10. Other first-round matches include Peshawar Region vs. Karachi Region Whites at Abbottabad Stadium, Faisalabad Region vs. Multan Region at Shoaib Akhtar Stadium KRL Rawalpindi, and FATA Region vs. Rawalpindi Region at Pindi Cricket Stadium.

The final will also be held at Lahore's iconic Gaddafi Stadium from October 22 to 26. Concurrently, the non-first-class tournament, Hanif Mohammad Trophy, will begin on September 10, featuring 10 regions divided into two groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 4 stage, where each team will play three matches. The winner of the Super 4 stage will qualify for the next year's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Matches for the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will be played in Mirpur, Multan, Muzaffarabad, and Rahim Yar Khan.

Following the red-ball tournaments, the one-day tournaments, Pakistan Cup and Hanif Mohammad Cup, will commence on November 1. Pakistan Cup will be hosted in Abbottabad, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. The semi-finals are scheduled for November 16 and 17 at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, with the final taking place on November 19 at the same venue.

The Hanif Mohammad Cup will also start on November 1 and will be hosted in AJK, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan. Like the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, the winner of the Hanif Mohammad Cup will be the team that finishes first in the Super 4 stage.

The two-leg National T20 tournament will be held in Karachi from November 24 to December 10. In the first leg, all 18 regional sides will compete to qualify for the Super 8, which will be played from December 1 to 8.