The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced a revamped three-tier departmental cricket structure for the 2025-26 season, in what it terms a significant overhaul aimed at strengthening competitiveness and providing more structured opportunities to domestic teams.
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Starting in August 2025 and concluding by May 2026, the new domestic framework includes over 40 departmental teams, distributed across Grade-I, Grade-II, and the newly introduced Grade-III tiers.
Grade-III Debuts With a Two-Day Format
For the first time, Grade-III cricket will be played in a two-day tournament, scheduled between March and April 2026. Teams in this tier were selected based on their performance in the 2024–25 President’s Trophy Grade-II, and the top two teams will earn promotion to Grade-II for the following season. Conversely, the bottom two Grade-II teams will be relegated, making room for fresh competition.
Grade-II Expanded with 14 Teams
The Grade-II President’s Trophy, a three-day format tournament, will be played from March to May 2026. The competition will feature 12 retained teams, joined by two relegated sides from Grade-I: the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Eshaal Associates.
The Grade-II winner will be promoted to Grade-I, gaining access to top-level first-class and List-A cricket. PCB also plans to introduce a new 50-over competition for Grade-II in the upcoming seasons.
President’s Cup Kicks Off in November
The first major departmental event of the season, the President’s Cup (List-A), is scheduled for November–December 2025, immediately following the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The eight participating departments include:
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Ghani Glass
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Khan Research Laboratories (KRL)
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Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL)
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Pakistan Television (PTV)
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Sahir Associates
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State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)
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Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL)
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WAPDA
These same teams will also contest the President’s Trophy first-class tournament, beginning in January 2026, which consists of 29 matches. The bottom two teams from this tier will be relegated to Grade-II, ensuring a merit-based movement across the structure.
Women’s Teams on the Horizon
The PCB also hinted at further development in women’s cricket, noting that several departments are expected to field women’s teams in the coming months — a step toward greater inclusion and broader talent development in the women’s game.
A Step Forward or More Instability?
This restructuring is yet another shift in Pakistan frequently revised domestic cricket framework, which has oscillated between regional and departmental models in recent years. Critics have raised concerns over the lack of consistency and long-term planning, despite the PCB’s intention to professionalize and streamline the system.
While the promotion and relegation model is designed to incentivize performance, stakeholders question whether this approach will be sustained or give way to yet another revision.
As the 2025–26 domestic season approaches, the PCB’s latest three-tier model signals a clear move toward creating a performance-based pathway for departmental teams. Whether it brings stability and growth or adds to ongoing structural uncertainty remains to be seen.
