Faislabad’s Iqbal stadium is set to host the star-studded Champions One-Day Cup from September 12 as UMT (University of Management and Technology) Markhors (previously Wolves) will face off against the Panthers in the opening match,
With Misbah-ul-Haq serving as UMT Markhors’ mentor, Mohammad Rizwan will captain them, while the Panthers will be led by Shadab Khan, with Saqlain Mushtaq as their mentor. The season-opening event boasts a total prize pool of Rs49 million, with the tournament winner on September 29 set to take home Rs30 million and the runner-up receiving Rs15 million.
Mohammad Haris’ Allied Bank Stallions on Friday will clash with Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Nurpur Lions, followed by Saturday’s fixture between Saud Shakeel’s Dolphins and Shadab Khan’s Panthers.
All five teams have been in Faisalabad for the past five days, participating in extensive training sessions to prepare for this newly launched tournament, which features the best of the country’s top cricketers.
The tournament has been planned with an eye on next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with standout performers looking to strengthen their chances of breaking into the national side that will compete in ODIs in Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and a home tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa in the lead-up to the biggest ICC Event of 2025.
White-ball head coach Gary Kirsten will be in Faisalabad to observe the 50-over tournament, which will be played on a single-round basis. Later in the competition, red-ball coach Jason Gillespie will also join Kirsten in Faisalabad.
In this high-stakes tournament where every match counts, the top-four sides will progress to the playoffs, culminating in the final on 29 September.
Meanwhile, the squads have been reduced to 16 after the preliminary squad of each team was announced.
16-player squads:
Dolphins: Saud Shakeel (captain), Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Huraira, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Riazullah, Noman Ali, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sufiyan Moqim, Umar Amin and Usman Qadir
Mentor – Sarfaraz Ahmed
Lions: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Aamer Yamin, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Taha, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rohail Nazir, Sajjad Ali Hashmi, Sharoon Siraj and Sirajuddin
Mentor – Waqar Younis
Markhors: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Abdul Samad, Akif Javed, Ali Usman, Bismillah Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani and Zahid Mehmood
Mentor – Misbah ul Haq
Panthers: Shadab Khan (captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ahmed Bashir, Amad Butt, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Umar, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mubasir Khan, Rizwan Mehmood, Saim Ayub, Umar Siddiq, Usama Mir and Usman Khan
Mentor – Saqlain Mushtaq
Stallions: Mohammad Haris (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Adil Amin, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Saad Khan, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan
Mentor – Shoaib Malik
