The National U-19 Women’s T20 tournament is set to begin on October 14, following a nearly month-long delay, as announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday.
Originally scheduled for September 16, the tournament was postponed without any official explanation, reflecting ongoing management challenges within the PCB’s domestic cricket operations.
Delays have plagued the 2024-25 domestic season, with major tournaments—including the inaugural Champions Cup and several national U-19 events for both men and women—failing to start on time.
Five teams, namely the Challengers, Conquerors, Invincibles, Stars, and Strikers, will compete in a double-league format, with the final scheduled for November 3 to determine the champion.
Each team, except for Invincibles, will have a mentor: Waqar Younis for Challengers, Misbah-ul-Haq for Conquerors, Shoaib Malik for Stars, and Saqlain Mushtaq for Strikers. Invincibles will proceed without a mentor due to Sarfraz Ahmed’s national team duties.
The National U-19 Women’s T20 tournament will feature 75 players and offer a prize pool of Rs1.1 million, with Rs0.5 million for the winners and Rs0.3 million for the runners-up.
The teams were selected after nationwide trials conducted by the national women’s selection committee, led by former Test cricketer Asad Shafiq and international cricketer Batool Fatima.