LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced a revamped three-tier departmental cricket structure for the 2025-26 domestic season, marking a significant development in the country’s domestic setup.

Set to commence in August and conclude in May 2026, the season will feature over 40 departmental teams divided across three grades — I, II and III. The structure introduces promotion and relegation mechanisms aimed at enhancing competitiveness.

Grade-III, a new addition to the structure, will feature a two-day tournament scheduled for March-April 2026. Teams in this tier have been selected based on their performances in the 2024-25 President’s Trophy Grade-II. The top two Grade-III sides will be promoted to Grade-II next season, while the bottom two Grade-II teams will be relegated.

As many as 12 teams have retained their places in Grade-II, joined by two relegated sides from Grade-I — Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Eshaal Associates — forming a 14-team competition.

The Grade-II President’s Trophy, consisting of three-day matches, will be held from March-May 2026. The tournament winner will earn promotion to Grade-I, which features both first-class and List-A cricket. The PCB also plans to introduce a 50-over competition for Grade-II teams next season.

The season’s first departmental event will be the President’s Cup (List-A), scheduled for November-December following the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Eight departments will compete in the 31-match tournament: Ghani Glass, Khan Research Laboratories, Oil and Gas Deve­lopment Company Limited, Pakis­tan Television, Sahir Asso­ciates, State Bank of Pakistan, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Wapda.

These same teams will also contest the first-class President’s Trophy, a 29-match competition that runs through January 2026. The bottom two teams will be relegated to Grade-II, continuing the cycle of upward and downward movement across tiers.

The PCB also indicated that several departments are expected to field women’s teams in the coming months, as part of efforts to expand the women’s game.

The introduction of yet another structural overhaul underscores the recurring instability in Pakistan’s domestic cricket system. In recent years, the domestic setup has seen multiple shifts — from regional to departmental models and back — leading to criticism from stakeholders over the lack of continuity and planning. While the new tiered model seeks to incentivise performance and streamline pro­gr­es­sion, concerns remain over whether consistent direction can be maintained.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2025