Cricket fans will get free entry to all matches of the National Champions Cup 2026, which begins on August 11 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the free-entry initiative through the tournament’s official social media campaign. Fans will not need to purchase tickets to watch the seven-match competition.
The tournament will run from August 11 to 18 and launch Pakistan’s 2026-27 domestic cricket season. All matches will take place under lights, with play starting at 3pm local time.
Four teams to battle for inaugural title
The 50-over List-A competition features Pakistan Greens, Pakistan Whites, Pakistan Blues and Pakistan Gold.
Each team will play the other three sides once in a single round-robin league. The two highest-ranked teams will then contest the final on August 18.
Pakistan Greens will face Pakistan Whites in the tournament opener on August 11. After that, Pakistan Blues meet Pakistan Gold the following day.
Pakistan Blues face Pakistan Whites on August 13, while Pakistan Gold play Pakistan Greens on August 14. Then, Pakistan Blues meet Pakistan Greens on August 15. The final league match pits Pakistan Gold against Pakistan Whites on August 16.
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The PCB has appointed some of Pakistan’s leading international players as captains. Shadab Khan will lead Pakistan Greens, while Saim Ayub captains Pakistan Whites.
Sahibzada Farhan will lead Pakistan Blues, while fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi takes charge of Pakistan Gold.
Selectors turn attention to 2027 World Cup
The national selection committee has named fixed playing XIs for each of the four teams. The PCB says it has also created a 13-player tournament reserve pool.
Teams can bring in a player from the reserve pool only in cases of injury or concussion. The reserves will remain with the teams during training sessions and on match days.
The PCB selected the 44 players across the four teams with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 firmly in mind.
Aqib Javed, PCB Director High Performance and a member of the men’s national selection committee, said the event would “provide ample playing opportunities to our best available pool of players for ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 preparations.”
The competition gives selectors a concentrated week of 50-over cricket to assess established internationals and emerging domestic players.
Free entry aims to bring fans closer to domestic cricket
The decision to allow spectators free entry gives Multan fans access to several prominent Pakistan players without ticket costs. Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim Jr are among the notable players selected.
Several players had already started arriving in Multan by August 9 as preparations intensified for the tournament.
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The opening match between Pakistan Greens and Pakistan Whites starts at 3pm on August 11. The same starting time applies to every league match and the August 18 final.
With free entry, national stars and World Cup selection plans all coming together, the National Champions Cup will serve as an important early test of Pakistan’s 50-over depth ahead of the 2027 global tournament.
