In light of the political turmoil in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar and Abbottabad are located, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted to relocate the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade 1 tournament. The federal government has declared a state of emergency and placed the province under governor’s rule, prompting these changes.
The tournament, which began across four cities including Islamabad and Rawalpindi, will continue as planned in these areas. However, matches originally slated for Peshawar’s Imran Khan Stadium and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium are now rescheduled. They will take place on October 14 at Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura and the LCCA Ground next to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Teams involved include Ghani against Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy, and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited against Oil and Gas Development Company Limited.
This round is the penultimate of the league stage, with the last round beginning just a day later than initially scheduled, on October 19. The league features a round-robin format, with eight teams competing to secure a final berth. The venue for the final match remains undecided.
Abbottabad Cricket Stadium has a seasoned history of hosting first-class matches. Imran Khan Stadium, after a notable hiatus of almost seven years, made a comeback last season with nine matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy following significant renovations. Despite trialling its hosting capacities in the National T20 Cup earlier, Peshawar was awarded its first Pakistan Super League (PSL) game this year. However, due to fuel conservation measures amidst the West Asia crisis, the PCB limited PSL venues to Lahore and Karachi.
On the points table, State Bank of Pakistan is leading with 84 points, closely followed by Ghani at 70 points. Several teams including Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy and Pakistan TV have one win each, while last season’s finalists, Khan Research Laboratories and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, are yet to claim victory.
