National Women’s T20 Tournament to begin in Lahore on March 27

2026-03-26 - 11:01

The five-team National Women’s T20 Tournament 2025-26 will begin on Friday, March 27, with defending champions Stars taking on Challengers at the Ghani Glass Cricket Ground. The first ball of the match will be bowled at 10 am, with the toss to take place at 9.30 am. Stars will be led by Pakistan international leg-spinner Tuba Hassan, while Challengers will be captained by right-arm fast bowler Diana Baig, who has represented Pakistan in 128 international matches. The other three teams in the tournament are Conquerors, Invincibles and Strikers. Last year’s finalists, Conquerors, will be led by Pakistan white-ball captain Fatima Sana, while wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali, who has two T20I centuries to her name, will captain Invincibles. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu, who has taken 184 international wickets, will lead the Strikers. A total of 80 players will feature in the tournament, with each of the five teams comprising 16 players in their squads for the 17-day event. The prize pot for the tournament is PKR 3.3 million, with the winners receiving PKR 1.5 million, while the runners-up will get PKR one million. The tournament provides players an opportunity to stake a claim for national selection, as Pakistan women’s upcoming international assignments include a home bilateral series against Zimbabwe, a T20I tri-series in Ireland, and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in England and Wales from June 12 to July 5. As per the format, the 21-match tournament will be played on a double-league basis, with each side playing at least eight matches before the top two teams qualify for the final. Matches will be played at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Ghani Glass Cricket Ground and LCCA Ground. The final of the tournament, which will also be live-streamed on PCB YouTube channel, will be staged at the Ghani Glass Cricket Ground on Sunday, 12 April. The first ball of the match will be bowled at 10 am.