National Champions Cup 2026-27 Set to Begin in Multan
The domestic 50-over season will get underway on Tuesday, 11 August, with the Al Batal Presents University of Lahore National Champions Cup 2026-27 bringing together four Pakistan sides at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan Greens, Gold, Whites and Blues will compete in a seven-match tournament designed to provide the national selectors and coaching staff with a closer look at players ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027.
Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan have been named captains of Pakistan Greens, Gold, Whites and Blues respectively. Each side features a designated playing XI along with three reserve players.
The tournament will open with Pakistan Greens taking on Pakistan Whites on 11 August. All matches will start at 3pm, with the toss scheduled for 2.30pm. The action will be available live on PTV Sports, while fans in Pakistan can also watch through Tapmad and Tamasha. Viewers outside Pakistan will be able to follow the matches on the PCB’s YouTube channel.
The commentary panel for the competition includes former Pakistan Test batter Salman Butt, former Pakistan women’s cricketer Aiman Anwar and prominent Urdu commentator Tariq Saeed, alongside Ali Younis and Raja Asad.
The participating squads and support staff reached Multan on 8 August and have since completed both day and night training sessions at the Inzamam-ul-Haq High Performance Centre and the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan Greens will be coached by former Test cricketer Ijaz Ahmed Jnr, while former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq will oversee Pakistan Gold, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Iqbal Imam has been appointed head coach of Pakistan Whites, while Aizaz Cheema will coach Pakistan Blues.
Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson is also expected to monitor the tournament closely. Hesson met the coaching staff of all four teams on Sunday and discussed the country’s preparation strategy for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
A total prize fund of PKR 8.15 million is up for grabs. The champions will receive PKR 5 million, while the runners-up will take home PKR 2.5 million. The Player of the Tournament, Best Batter, Best Bowler and Best Wicketkeeper will each receive PKR 100,000.
The four captains appeared at Monday’s trophy unveiling and pre-tournament press conference. Faheem Ashraf represented Shadab Khan during the media engagements and trophy ceremony.
Shaheen Shah Afridi highlighted the importance of the tournament in creating greater depth within the national setup.
“Most of the players are coming off a two-month white-ball camp at the National Cricket Academy, so they should be well prepared in terms of both fitness and match readiness. The main objective is to identify more options for different roles before the ODI World Cup.
“We want to establish reliable backups well before the World Cup. Every player has been given specific roles with bat and ball, allowing us to assess how they respond in different match situations.”
Saim Ayub, who will captain Pakistan Whites, said the 50-over format requires players to adapt according to the flow of the game.
“I’m looking forward to leading Pakistan Whites. Every player in our squad has an important role and our primary aim will be to win the competition. In 50-over cricket, patience is essential, but you also need to change gears quickly when the momentum shifts.”
Sahibzada Farhan believes the combination of youth and experience in Pakistan Blues can make the side competitive.
“I have gained leadership experience during previous domestic seasons. We have several exciting young players who have already performed well at different levels. Hasan Ali and I will provide the experience, and it will be exciting to share the field with such talented cricketers.”
Faheem Ashraf, speaking on behalf of Pakistan Greens, said the tournament should help players build stronger understanding on the field.
“It is encouraging to see such a strong pool of players competing together. Playing alongside each other will improve communication and understanding within the group. Pakistan Greens have a balanced squad with all departments covered, and hopefully we can put together strong performances.”
Pakistan Greens
Shadab Khan (captain), Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Farhan Yousuf, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Sameer Minhas.
Reserves: Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Suleman.
Support staff: Ijaz Ahmed Jnr (head coach), Rehan Riaz (bowling coach), Khurram Shahzad (batting coach), Fahad Iqbal (fielding coach).
Pakistan Whites
Saim Ayub (captain), Ali Raza, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shahzaib Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).
Reserves: Saqib Khan, Danish Aziz, Haseebullah Khan.
Support staff: Iqbal Imam (head coach), Samiullah Niazi (bowling coach), Faisal Athar (batting coach), Saqib Faqir (fielding coach).
Pakistan Blues
Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Arafat Minhas, Hasan Ali, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sufyan Moqim, Taimur Khan (wicketkeeper), Tayyab Tahir.
Reserves: Muhammad Salman, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Faiq.
Support staff: Aizaz Cheema (head coach), Fahad Masood (bowling coach), Naveed Latif (batting coach), Hussain Khosa (fielding coach).
Pakistan Gold
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Faisal Akram, Haider Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Akhlaq (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Imran, Saad Khan, Shamyl Hussain.
Reserves: Razaullah, Muhammad Imran Jnr, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay.
Support staff: Misbah-ul-Haq (head coach), Waqas Ahmed (bowling coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (batting coach), Atiq-ur-Rehman (fielding coach).
National Champions Cup 2026-27 Schedule
All matches will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium and begin at 3pm.
11 August: Pakistan Greens vs Pakistan Whites
12 August: Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Gold
13 August: Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Whites
14 August: Pakistan Gold vs Pakistan Greens
15 August: Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Greens
16 August: Pakistan Gold vs Pakistan Whites
18 August: Final — Top two teams
