The PCB on Monday announced a new set of 'Champions events' to be instituted at the domestic level in 2024-25.

On Monday (August 5), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the setting up of the 'Champions events', three new competitions at the domestic level. 

In a press conference on Monday morning, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, along with COO Salman Naseer and new advisor to chairman on cricket affairs Waqar Younis addressed the media regarding plans to institute a new set of domestic tournaments.

In an attempt to "bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket", as Naqvi put it, the PCB would now add 'Champions Events' in the first-class, 50-overs and T20 formats to the cricketing calendar.

What are the PCB's new Champions events for the 2024-25 season?

These Champions events will consist of five teams each – named Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions and Wolves – who will compete in a double-league format (i.e., play each other twice in a league stage).

At this initial stage, each team will consist of 30 players. The best-performing domestic players over the last three years will make up the bulk of these sides, with centrally contracted players also set to take part. The PCB's media release has stated that further details on this will be shared in due course.

Each team will also be handed over to a former Pakistan national team player for a period of three years, details of which should be released in the next week or so, according to Naqvi. This player, along with a full support staff, will be responsible for the development and performance of the thirty under their charge, as well as a separate women's team and U19 team of 15 players each.

In addition, each of the five teams will be allotted a Regional High-Performance Centre in Pakistan to use as a training base. These are located in Faisalabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Sialkot.

Naqvi: Goal is to get the cream of the crop

In his press conference, Naqvi said, "The goal of all this is to get the cream of the crop, and ensure you have 150 of the best players available at all times. Waqar Younis has taken responsibility for putting in this process of polishing these players and making them ready.

"So now, whatever type of player you want [for the national team], you can pick from eight to ten available options. It becomes easier for selectors and the standard of players will also be better."

"We are trying to make this (the Champions events) part of the Constitution [of the PCB] so that it becomes a permanent feature. We don't want that it starts now and then after one or two years it just comes to an end," Naqvi added.

When will the Champions events be played in the 2024-25 season?

The PCB also released a tentative schedule for the 2024-25 domestic season, illustrating how the Champions events would be incorporated into the calendar. At present, the Champions One-Day Cup will serve as the curtain-raiser for the season, taking place from Spetember 1 to September 29.

The Champions T20 Cup will be played mid-season, in December, while the Champions Pentangular (the first-class competition) will take place at the end of the season, from May to August 2025.

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