The inaugural National Champions Cup 2026 is set to kick-start Pakistan’s domestic cricket season, with the 50-over tournament scheduled to take place from August 11 to August 18.
The competition will feature four teams – Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Blues, Pakistan Whites and Pakistan Gold – with several established Pakistan internationals taking part. The four sides will compete in a round-robin format, with each team facing the other three once. The two highest-ranked teams will then meet in the final on August 18.
Shadab Khan, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub and Shaheen Shah Afridi have been appointed captains of Pakistan Greens, Blues, Whites and Gold respectively.
All seven matches, including the final, will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The league-stage fixtures begin on August 11, when Pakistan Greens face Pakistan Whites at 3pm local time.
Pakistan Blues will then meet Pakistan Gold on August 12 before taking on Pakistan Whites the following day. Pakistan Gold will face Pakistan Greens on August 14, while Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Greens will clash on August 15.
The final two league fixtures are scheduled for August 16, when Pakistan Gold take on Pakistan Whites. The tournament’s final will be played on August 18, with the action beginning at 3pm.
Pakistan Greens boast the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Shadab. Pakistan Blues, meanwhile, feature Hasan Ali, Tayyab Tahir and Sahibzada Farhan, alongside a number of emerging players.
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (PKT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 11 | Pakistan Greens vs Pakistan Whites | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 12 | Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Gold | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 13 | Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Whites | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 14 | Pakistan Gold vs Pakistan Greens | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 15 | Pakistan Blues vs Pakistan Greens | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 16 | Pakistan Gold vs Pakistan Whites | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
| August 18 | Final | Multan Cricket Stadium | 3:00 PM |
Saim Ayub will lead Pakistan Whites, who also have Haris Rauf, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr and Hasan Nawaz in their ranks. Shaheen Shah Afridi will captain Pakistan Gold, with Mohammad Nawaz, Kamran Ghulam and Haider Ali among the notable names.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has also selected a 13-member reserve pool to support the four squads during the tournament. The group includes batters Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Faiq and Muhammad Irfan Khan; all-rounders Mubasir Khan and Danish Aziz; pacers Arshad Iqbal, Muhammad Salman, Razaullah, Saqib Khan, Mohammad Amir Khan and Shahnawaz Dahani; and wicketkeeper Haseebullah.
With a mix of experienced internationals and promising domestic talent, the National Champions Cup is expected to provide Pakistan’s players with an important platform at the beginning of the new domestic season.
Full Squads
Pakistan Greens
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 Blues
Sahibzada Farhan (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Rohail Nazir (wk), Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim, Taimur Khan (wk) and Tayyab Tahir
Pakistan Whites
Saim Ayub (c), Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Haris Rauf, Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohsin Riaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saad Masood, Shahzaib Khan, Usman Khan (wk)
Pakistan Gold
Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdul Samad, Abdul Subhan, Faisal Akram, Haider Ali, Kamran Ghulam, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Muhammad Imran, Saad Khan.