The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again found itself in the spotlight due to its peculiar decisions. Already known in the cricketing world for its volatile decisions and sudden changes, the PCB has taken a step this time that has brought about a major overhaul in the country's domestic cricket structure.
Sports News: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has once again put itself at the center of criticism with its latest decisions. The PCB has made major changes to the domestic cricket structure, reducing the number of teams in the country's most prestigious tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, from 18 to just 8, while the Champions Cup, launched in 2024, has been discontinued after only one season. These decisions have angered everyone from former cricketers to fans, and questions are once again being raised about the PCB's functioning.
Big blow to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The changes made by the PCB regarding the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's oldest and most prestigious first-class competition, are perhaps unprecedented in the history of domestic cricket. The board has now reduced this tournament from 18 teams to just 8. This has caused the most damage to veteran teams like Karachi Whites and Karachi Blues, who have won this tournament 21 times, but have now been shown the door.
Now these teams will participate in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, which is a non-first-class competition. A total of 12 teams will play in this tournament, with only the top 2 teams qualifying for the next season of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
These 6 teams got direct entry
The PCB has included six teams directly in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025 without any qualification process. These teams are:
- Islamabad
- Sialkot
- Bahawalpur
- Lahore Region Whites
- Peshawar
- Abbottabad
The remaining two teams will be the top 2 from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy. This tournament will start from September 22, 2025, and its final will be played between November 3 and 7.
Champions Cup discontinued after one season
Not only has the number of teams been reduced, but the PCB has also decided to discontinue the Champions Cup, which was launched in 2024, after just one season. This tournament was quite talked about because it included former international players, domestic coaching staff, and senior players from the current national team in the role of mentors.
It was hoped that this would give young players the opportunity to learn from senior cricketers and strengthen Pakistan cricket at the grassroots level. But now suddenly discontinuing it has become a new example of the PCB's "start – stop" attitude.
Experts' opinion: PCB is running on experiments, not policy
Former players and sports experts of Pakistan cricket say that this attitude of the PCB is detrimental to cricket. Senior cricket analyst Faizal Mirza says: In the last four years, the PCB has changed the domestic cricket structure three times. This keeps the players confused and stability cannot be established. Excluding teams like Karachi from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is beyond understanding.
