PCB launches first-ever Inter-College Ramadan T20 Cup

Staff Report

 LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has launched the first-ever Inter-College Ramadan T20 Cup, which is set to take place in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad involving a total of 30 colleges. In Lahore, the tournament will commence from March 22, while tournament matches in Islamabad and Karachi will commence from March 23. With this T20 tournament, the PCB intends to popularise the game among students and also scout young talent for the future. The tournament will be organised with the help of the respective regional bodies involving Lahore Regional Cricket Association (LRCA), Karachi Regional Cricket Association (KRCA) and Islamabad Regional Cricket Association (IRCA), through an organising committee formed by the aforementioned regions and endorsed by the PCB.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said: “We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Ramadan Inter-College T20 tournament to foster cricket talent within educational institutions. This tournament expresses our commitment to the game development at the grassroots level. The spirit of Ramadan, combined with the excitement of T20 cricket, promises an electrifying atmosphere on the field. Our vision extends beyond just cricket and through this tournament, we hope to encourage students to pursue both academic excellence and sporting achievements. By hosting this tournament in Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad, we aim to provide a platform for young cricketers from diverse backgrounds to showcase their skills and passion for the game.”

PCB Director Domestic Abdullah Khurram Niazi said: “We are organising this tournament, as per the vision of the PCB Chairman, to increase the outreach of the game to a vast majority of the students who normally find it tough to juggle between playing cricket and their studies. I am confident this tournament will also bring some exciting talent to the forefront as well while providing young students the opportunities to prove their mettle on the cricket field.” The tournament will see a total of 10 teams participating in each city. These teams will be divided into two groups while the top team of each group will play the final. Each team will play four matches in the pool stage while a total of 21 matches will be played in each city. Each team will have a squad of 14 players and additionally three reserve players, along with three officials. The participation rules for the players involve an age bracket where a player born on or after 1 September 2000, will be eligible to take part in this Inter-Collegiate T20 tournament. To take part in the tournament a player must be a bonafide student of the respective college. The umpires officiating the games will be from PCB’s panel of Umpires. The winning team in each city will be awarded a cash prize of PKR 500,000 while the runners-up in each city will bag PKR 250,000. Also, during the tournament, the PCB selectors will be at the venues to closely monitor the performances of the players.

Islamabad-leg

Group A – Bahria College Zafar Camp E-8, Beaconhouse I-8, IMCB F-7/3, IMPCC H -8/4 and FROBELS.

Group B – IMCB – Chakshahzad, West Minister, IMCB Degree College Shihala, IMCB F-10/3 and IMCB G-10/4.

The Islamabad-leg will be played from 23 March to 3 April at the Misam Cricket Ground. The first match will take place at 8pm, while the second match will resume at 1130pm. The first ball of the final is expected to be bowled at 9pm.

Lahore-leg

Group A – Punjab College, Superior College, Diyal Singh College, Gulberg College and Science College.

Group B – Government College University, MAO College, Islamia College Civil Lines, Government College Township and Shalimar College Baghbanpura.

The Lahore-leg matches will be played at the LCCA Ground with the opening and final match taking place at 8pm. The second match later in the evening will start at 11pm. On the double-header matches, the first match will start at 730pm.

The final of the Lahore-leg will be played at the LCCA Ground on 8 April.

Karachi-leg

Group A – Government Dehli College, Government College for Men, Happy Palace College, Beaconhouse School System and Government Jinnah College.

Group B – Government National College, Government College Asifabad, Government College 36-B Landhi-4, The City School and Government Pak Shipowners College.

The Karachi-leg matches will resume from 23 March and the final of the tournament will take place on 4 April. The T20 matches will be held at Eid GAH Ground Nazimabad and IBA Karachi University Ground, with the match starting at 730pm. The final of the tournament will be played at the EID GAH Ground in Nazimabad, with the first ball expected to be bowled at 730pm.