LAHORE, 15 July 2025 – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has introduced a landmark three-tier departmental structure for the 2025-26 domestic cricket season, creating a promotion-relegation system aimed at increasing competitiveness and expanding participation across the country.
Over 40 departments are set to compete in four different competitions spanning from August 2025 to May 2026. The newly established three-grade model — Grade-I, Grade-II, and Grade-III — marks the first time a tiered departmental structure has been formally implemented in Pakistan’s domestic game.
Grade-III introduced to expand competitiveness
To enhance structure and competition, Grade-III has been introduced for the first time. It will feature two-day matches in March and April 2026, with teams qualifying based on standings from the 2024-25 President’s Trophy Grade-II.
The top two Grade-III teams will earn promotion to Grade-II for the following season, while the bottom two Grade-II teams will be relegated. This creates a performance-based ecosystem for departmental cricket, strengthening long-term planning and investment in players.
2025-26 President’s Trophy Grade-II details
14 teams will participate in the President’s Trophy Grade-II, which will consist of three-day matches from March to May 2026. The teams include:
- Ahmed Glass
- Ghani Institute
- JDW Sugar Mills
- Kingsmen
- MIT Solutions
- PAF
- PHA Rawalpindi
- Port Qasim
- Railways
- Sardar Group
- Vital Tea
- Wing 999 Sports
- HEC (relegated from Grade-I)
- Eshaal Associates (relegated from Grade-I)
The tournament winner will qualify for next season’s top-tier first-class and List-A competitions. In 2026–27, a new 50-over competition for Grade-II teams is also planned.
President’s Cup (List-A) and President’s Trophy (First-Class)
The first departmental tournament of the new season will be the President’s Cup (List-A), featuring 31 matches in November and December 2025. Participating departments include:
- Ghani Glass
- Khan Research Laboratories
- Oil and Gas Development Company Limited
- Pakistan Television
- Sahir Associates
- State Bank of Pakistan
- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited
- Water and Power Development Authority
These same eight teams will then contest the President’s Trophy (First-Class) in 29 matches concluding in January 2026. The bottom-placed team will be relegated, and the Grade-II winner promoted to the top division for 2026–27.
Women’s departmental cricket in the pipeline
Several departments are expected to assemble women’s teams in the coming months, as PCB works toward expanding the women’s domestic structure. Additional details will be announced in due course.
PCB official highlights future vision
Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director Domestic Cricket Operations, said: “The departmental cricket has become the bedrock of our domestic season for the third year straight. We highly appreciate the efforts of over 40 departments helping Pakistan cricket grow by investing in talent and participating actively.”
“By introducing a three-tier system, we’ve incentivised competition and enhanced structure. With over 400 players set to feature this season, we believe this will significantly raise the standard of domestic cricket.”
Fans and stakeholders can listen to Niazi’s full interview on the PCB’s official podcast channel for deeper insights into the new system and its implications for the future of domestic cricket in Pakistan.
