Defending champions WAPDA excluded from President's Trophy Grade-I competitions

KARACHI: Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Kingsmen Academy will replace Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Sahir Associates in the President’s Trophy and President’s Cup Grade-I competitions for the 2026-27 domestic cricket season, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday.

The changes come after the PCB introduced a series of new regulations aimed at improving the quality and professionalism of domestic cricket following a review of the previous editions of both tournaments.

According to the PCB, WAPDA and Sahir Associates failed to comply with the newly introduced requirements and have therefore been replaced in the Grade-I structure.

Notably, WAPDA were the reigning departmental Grade-I champions, having won last season's President's Trophy. 

However, the department did not submit the required participation fee for the 2026-27 season, resulting in its exclusion from the competition. WAPDA's absence is expected to affect dozens of domestic cricketers who were associated with the department.

As part of the revised regulations, all departmental teams will be required to conduct mandatory fitness tests for their players in accordance with the PCB's new domestic fitness policy for the 2026-27 season. 

The policy also requires every department to include at least one Under-21 player in the playing XI for both red-ball and white-ball competitions.

The PCB has also strengthened financial and operational standards for participating departments. All Grade-I teams will be subject to audits during and after tournaments to ensure players receive their annual contracts, match fees and daily allowances through transparent banking channels.

Departments must also provide suitable accommodation, quality meals and maintain the professional standards required for participation in first-class and List A cricket.

The PCB reiterated that departmental cricket remains the backbone of Pakistan's domestic structure and stressed that all participating organisations must meet the board's standards regarding player contracts, salaries, welfare, accommodation and pre-season fitness requirements.

The eight Grade-I departmental teams for the 2026-27 season are Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Kingsmen Academy, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Television (PTV), Ghani Glass, MIT Solutions, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

PCB Senior General Manager of Domestic Cricket Operations Osama Sharoon said the board remains committed to strengthening Pakistan's domestic cricket structure by ensuring only departments that meet the required professional standards participate in Grade-I competitions.

He said the latest measures are designed to improve player welfare, increase accountability and create a more competitive domestic environment.

"In our continuous efforts to maintain high standards of professional cricket in the domestic cricket circuit, we have further streamlined the Grade-I departmental cricket teams as merit and accountability are two virtues that cannot be compromised when it comes to player welfare and providing top-quality cricket playing opportunities," Sharoon said.

Sharoon added that the PCB's long-term objective is to further improve the standard of departmental cricket while creating stronger development pathways for emerging players.

He said merit, professionalism and consistently high standards would remain central to the PCB's domestic cricket strategy.

"As per Chairman PCB's vision, there is no room whatsoever for deviation from merit and high standards of professional cricket and players' welfare in the country. Departmental cricket has played a huge role in nurturing talent across the years in Pakistan and it should continue to progress and improve every season," he said.

"Our central theme remains player development through competitive cricket tournaments at the domestic level and we will go to all lengths to implement high standards across the board continuously," he added.