Prize money announced for QEAT 2025-26 ahead of final

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced the prize pot for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 on the eve of the highly-anticipated final between Karachi Blues and Sialkot, set to be played here at the Gaddafi Stadium from December 1 to 5.

According to the cricket board, the winner will bag a prize money of Rs7.5 million, while the runners-up will get Rs4 million. Furthermore, the Player of the final will be presented a cheque of one lac rupees, while the best bowler, batter, wicket-keeper and player of the tournament will be awarded PKR 250k each.

Unlike the league-stage matches, the summit clash will be broadcast and live-streamed across different platforms, while the fans can witness the action free of cost from the Fazal Mehmood enclosure of the venue.

Renowned voices Ali Younis, Raja Asad, Salman Butt and Tariq Saeed will be calling the action during the high-stakes fixture.

For the unversed, Sialkot will enter the fixture to defend their title against Karachi Blues, who have been the most successful team in Pakistan's premier first-class tournament with nine titles.

The two teams last faced each other in the QEAT final in the 2012-13 edition, which saw Karachi Blues emerge victorious by nine wickets.

For the unversed, Karachi Blues and Sialkot took contrasting routes to the final as the former was the first to book their place by edging the holders in the last-round fixture by three wickets.

Following Karachi Blues' qualification, Faisalabad and Sialkot remained in contention for the remaining spot.

Faisalabad had the chance to pip Sialkot and secure the decisive second spot in the QEAT 2025-26 standings by defeating Bahawalpur, but the outcome of the fixture did not go their way as Saifullah Bangash's side chased down the 310-run target to conclude their campaign on a winning note.

Faisalabad's defeat meant Sialkot held on to their second spot with 155 points, while Karachi Blues finished at the top with 161 points.

Squads

Sialkot: Usama Mir (c), Mohsin Riaz (vc), Abdul Rehman, Abdullah Shafique, Afzaal Manzoor (wk), Athar Mehmood, Azan Awais, Hamza Nazar, Hasnain Khan, Hasan Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Huraira and Mohammad Waleed.

Karachi Blues: Suad Shakeel (c), Abdullah Fazal, Danish Aziz, Haroon Arshad, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Muhammad Hamza, Muhammad Umar, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ramiz Aziz, Saad Baig (wk), Saqib Khan, Shan Masood and Usman Khan.