Babar and Shaheen Set for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Opening Clash
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam and one-day international skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi will headline the opening round of the 69th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2026-27, which gets under way across Islamabad, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi on Tuesday, 3 November.
Babar will turn out for Lahore Whites, who face Shaheen-led Fata at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, in what promises to be one of the early highlights of the premier first-class competition.
Several other established Pakistan players will also feature in the tournament. Saud Shakeel captains defending champions Karachi Blues, Mohammad Rizwan leads Peshawar Blues and Imam-ul-Haq takes charge of Multan. Abdullah Shafique will captain Sialkot Blues, while Mohammad Nawaz has been named skipper of Rawalpindi in the Silver tier.
A tournament in two tiers
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the schedule and team rosters for the Gold and Silver competitions on Monday. The two competitions will run simultaneously and feature 20 regional sides in total.
Eight teams will compete in the Gold tier: Karachi Blues, Faisalabad, Fata, Lahore Whites, Islamabad, Peshawar Blues, Multan and Sialkot Blues. The Gold competition runs from 3 November to 12 December, with the five-day final scheduled for 15 to 19 December.
The 12-team Silver competition provides a pathway to the top tier for next season. Its winners will earn promotion to the Gold tier. The Silver teams are divided into two groups of six. Group A comprises Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, Larkana, Quetta, Bahawalpur and Peshawar Whites, while Group B comprises Karachi Whites, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Dera Murad Jamali, Abbottabad and Sialkot Whites.
Group A matches will be staged at the KCCA Stadium and the SBP and UBL Sports Complexes in Karachi, while Group B fixtures will be held at the Multan Cricket Stadium, the Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan and Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur. Silver group matches take place from 3 to 30 November, with the final between the two group winners scheduled for 3 to 7 December.
A total of 60 first-class matches will be played across the two competitions, with 29 fixtures in Gold and 31 in Silver. Both tiers carry first-class status. The tournament will also mark the first time that Peshawar and Sialkot regions will field two teams each in a first-class competition.
Squads to watch
In the Gold tier, Lahore Whites’ squad includes Babar, all-rounder Aamir Jamal, Tayyab Tahir and Noman Ali, while Fata will be led by Shaheen and also feature Khushdil Shah and Mohammad Wasim Khan. That makes the Islamabad opener a genuine contest between two strong sides, not merely a meeting of two star names.
Karachi Blues, meanwhile, have retained a strong line-up under Saud, with Saim Ayub and Omair Bin Yousuf among the players in their squad. Shan Masood, Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza are included in the team’s reserves and national-duty pool.
Peshawar Blues will be captained by wicketkeeper batter Rizwan, with Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris and Iftikhar Ahmed also named in the squad. In the Silver competition, Abbottabad have included Fakhar Zaman and Kamran Ghulam, while Rawalpindi’s squad features Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz and Jahandad Khan.
The PCB said teams would operate with revolving rosters throughout the tournament, with 15 travelling members and the option to draw on reserve players and those in the national-duty pool when available. That flexibility matters in a long season, since national commitments and injuries will inevitably change squads between rounds.
Why the opener matters
First-class cricket rarely gets the attention of a white-ball final, but the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy remains the main route by which domestic players press claims for national selection. An early clash between Babar and Shaheen gives the tournament an immediate focal point, and a strong start in Islamabad will set the tone for both Lahore Whites and Fata.
For the Silver tier, the prize is just as clear: promotion to the Gold tier for next season. Teams that win their groups and then the Silver final will join the top eight, which gives the lower tier a purpose beyond its own trophy.
The first ball on Tuesday will therefore matter in two ways. In Islamabad, two of Pakistan’s biggest names meet head to head. Across the country, 20 regional sides begin a six-week programme that ends with a five-day Gold final in December.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy start?
On Tuesday, 3 November 2026, across Islamabad, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi.
Who plays in the opening-round headline match?
Babar Azam’s Lahore Whites face Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Fata at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad.
How is the tournament structured?
Eight teams play in the Gold tier and 12 in the Silver tier, which is split into two groups of six. The Silver winners earn promotion to the Gold tier for next season.
How many matches will be played?
Sixty first-class matches in total: 29 in Gold and 31 in Silver.
When are the finals?
The Silver final is scheduled for 3 to 7 December, and the five-day Gold final for 15 to 19 December.
