PCB Discontinues Champions Cup After One Year

LAHORE: In a recent decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted to discontinue the Champions Cup tournament, merely a year after its establishment as a component of domestic cricket reforms.

The competition will be omitted from the domestic schedule for 2025–26. The Champions Cup, which was introduced in 2024 with substantial promotion, was conceived to elevate competitiveness within domestic cricket.

As an element of this project, the PCB had designated five distinguished former cricketers—Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, and Sarfaraz Ahmed—as mentors for the five participating teams.

These assignments were conducted through what the board characterized as a rigorous and transparent procedure, with initial contracts spanning three years and an estimated monthly remuneration of Rs five million for each mentor.

However, the board has now chosen to shelve the tournament and terminate the mentorship initiative, subsequent to an internal assessment conducted earlier in the year.

Sources indicate that the PCB’s determination followed an assessment of the Champions Cup’s general influence and significance, along with its mentorship framework.

The evaluation concluded that the competition failed to accomplish its intended objectives, culminating in its cessation and the abrogation of mentor contracts.

Former captain Shoaib Malik was the initial mentor to relinquish his position, followed shortly by internal deliberations regarding the termination of agreements with the remaining mentors.

It is noteworthy that the PCB initially declared the appointments of these five former players through a transparent and competitive selection process on August 26, 2024.

Concurrently, the PCB has released the domestic cricket schedule for the 2025–26 season, revealing a more competitive and performance-oriented framework.

The season’s focal point will be a restructured Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s leading first-class tournament, set to commence on September 22 and featuring eight teams.

The domestic season is scheduled to commence with the Hanif Mohammad Trophy on August 15, 2025, and will take place across Karachi, Multan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan.