National Champions Cup trophy unveiled in Multan

The trophy for the inaugural National Champions Cup was unveiled at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday ahead of the domestic 50-over tournament.

The trophy unveiling ceremony was attended by the captains of the four participating teams, Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan Gold, Sahibzada Farhan of Pakistan Blues, Saim Ayub of Pakistan Whites and Faheem Ashraf, who filled in for Pakistan Greens’ skipper Shadab Khan.

The National Champions Cup will feature four teams competing in a single round-robin format, with Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Whites, Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Gold all playing each other once.

The top two teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the final, scheduled to be played on August 18.

The tournament will play a crucial role in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, with a number of established internationals and emerging players set to feature.

The PCB has selected 44 players across the four squads, while a 13-player reserve pool has also been established for the competition.

Reserve players will only be allowed to replace members of the playing squads in the event of an injury or concussion during the tournament.

The competition will provide the national selectors with an opportunity to closely monitor players and assess emerging talent ahead of the 2027 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Squads

Pakistan Greens

Playing XI: Shadab Khan (c), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousuf, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Baig (wk) and Sameer Minhas.

Pakistan Whites

Playing XI: Saim Ayub (c), Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Shahzaib Khan and Usman Khan (wk).

Pakistan Blues

Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Abdullah Shafique, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Rohail Nazir (wk), Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim, Taimur Khan (wk).

Pakistan Gold

Playing XI: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Faisal Akram, Haider Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Muhammad Imran and Saad Khan.