The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named initial squads for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2026-27, Pakistan’s leading first-class (multi-day) competition, which opens on 3 November. Eight sides will contest the Gold tier and 12 will play in Silver, with several current national players listed among the Gold rosters.
How the season is structured
This is the 69th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Gold will stage 29 first-class matches. Silver will stage 31 and will act as a route into Gold for the following season. The board has also listed captains, reserves and head coaches for the eight Gold teams.
Where the big names are going
Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam is named in the Lahore Whites squad, which Aamer Jamal will captain under head coach Aizaz Cheema. Shaheen Shah Afridi will captain FATA, with Riaz Afridi as head coach. Mohammad Rizwan will captain Peshawar Blues, coached by Abdul Rehman. Saud Shakeel will lead defending champions Karachi Blues, coached by Syed Iqbal Imam, while Abdullah Shafique will captain Sialkot Blues.
Other Gold captains named by the board include Muhammad Irfan Khan (Faisalabad), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad) and Imam-ul-Haq (Multan). Karachi Blues’ listed squad includes Saim Ayub; Shan Masood appears among that side’s reserves and is described as recovering from injury, alongside other reserves such as Abrar Ahmed and Mir Hamza.
Gold coaches and early squad notes
Faisalabad’s head coach is Samiullah Niazi, with Abdul Samad as vice-captain. Islamabad is coached by Naveed Latif. Multan’s head coach is Fahad Masood. Several Gold lists also mark under-21 players and wicketkeepers in the initial groups, reflecting how the PCB has framed these as opening rosters rather than final, match-day XIs.
Fans following domestic cricket will next look for the opening fixtures from 3 November and for how often national players feature between international commitments. Silver’s promotion path means results there will also shape which provinces and city sides sit in Gold next season.
Aasan alfaaz mein
PCB ne Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ke teams aur players ka elaan kar diya hai. Tournament 3 November se shuru hoga. Babar Azam Lahore Whites ke saath hain, jabke Shaheen Afridi FATA aur Rizwan Peshawar Blues ki captaincy karen ge. Domestic cricket dekhne walon ke liye yeh season national players ke saath wapas aa raha hai.
