State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will look to defend their title as the eight-team President’s Cup Grade-I 2025-26 is set to begin on Monday, December 8, at four venues in Karachi, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Sunday.
The 31-match 50-over tournament is set to run till December 25, when the winner will be crowned following the two semi-finals on 22 and 23 December.
The eight teams will take on each other in a single-league round-robin format, with four matches taking place in each of the seven rounds.
The PCB has also announced that the entire 50-over tournament will be live-streamed on Tapmad in Pakistan and on the PCB YouTube Channel for the fans outside Pakistan. The league-stage matches will be day games. The toss will take place at 9 am with the first ball expected to be bowled at 9.30 am.
In the first round, Ghani Glass will take on Pakistan Television (PTV) at the HPC Oval Ground, and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will be up against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) at the KCCA Stadium.
Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and Sahir Associates will play at Naya Nazimabad Stadium, while defending champions SBP will be locking horns with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) at the UBL Sports Complex. The venues for the semi-finals and final will be announced in due course.
The teams will be vying for a winner’s prize money of PKR 5 million, while the runners-up will collect PKR 2.5 million. The best batter, bowler, wicket-keeper and player of the tournament will be awarded PKR 100,000, while players of the match in each league stage and semi-final game will get PKR 25,000, with the player of the final getting PKR 50,000.
The teams will be led by Moeez Ghani (Ghani Glass), Iftikhar Ahmed (KRL), Adil Amin (OGDCL), Ammad Butt (PTV), Asim Ali Nasir (Sahir Associates), Shan Masood (SNGPL), Imran Butt (SBP) and Khalid Usman (WAPDA).
Sahir Associates made it to the Departmental Grade-I List A and first-class tournaments after winning the President’s Trophy Grade-II tournament held from April to June earlier this year.
