Five-team Women’s T20 Tournament to get under way today

LAHORE: The five-team National Women’s T20 Tournament 2025-26 will get underway from Friday (March 27) with defending champions Stars taking on Challengers at the Ghani Glass Cricket Ground. 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 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 12th June to 5th July. 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, 12th April. Diana Baig of Challengers said, “The side has a good balance of youth and experience, which is very encouraging. We have seen similar combinations across teams, so it promises to be a competitive tournament with quality matches. As a team, we want to play with positive intent and continue improving our fielding. These are key areas we are working on and we want our young players to adopt the same mindset in domestic cricket. ” Fatima Sana of Conquerors said, “As a captain, I will try to set an example through my actions, give confidence to the players and encourage them to express themselves. It is important that they enjoy their cricket and execute the hard work they have put in over the past few months. ” Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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